Online conferences are different

Why does online conferencing hit differently to in-person? It’s not a simple swap of face-to-face to screen-to-screen; there are so many other factors that can make or break an event.

Online has to be different.

Here’s some things of the things we’ve found work better online.

For those who have been to a destination conference before, you’ll know it’s not just the time and the ticket you need to account for – there are travel times, travel costs, accommodation costs, airport food costs (don’t get me started on the price of bottles of water in airports), the toll travelling takes on your energy, the toll it takes on your family for you to be away for a few days, and this is all outweighed by the amazing ideas, thoughts, tools, and inspiration you come away with at the end, right?

Everyone loves a trip on an airplane right? The good news is you can replicate the experience at home:

At BoS we wouldn’t ask you to spend two or three days locked in your work from home office just to give you that same experience of full immersion, so we’ve had to do things differently.

From the outset, we have been very deliberate about designing a virtual experience that is fit for the medium.

• Talks are shorter to allow more time for engagement between talks with the speakers directly.
• There are fewer speakers and more points to interact as we hone down the list of amazing applications to present the best of the best (which is so hard to do with so many great speakers applying).
• The talks are designed to be more interactive. You want to be involved in the discussion, not sat watching from afar.
• The breakout sessions and ‘Birds of a Feather’ conversations seem to work better online than in person. It is easier to meet and talk to people without the fear of having to ‘join a conversation’ in the line for coffee.
• It’s also, perhaps paradoxically, easier to feel closer to the speakers and other attendees.

• Plus we factor in Zoom fatigue by scheduling regular breaks, lots of time to connect with other people, whether from your desk, or even as you go for a walk.
• One of the most important things we consider is how to make events inspiring and energizing even when you are taking part from home.

You still get amazing talks from the world’s leading entrepreneurs and thinkers, but from the comfort of your own home or office with huge time and financial savings. You don’t want a Netflix style binge of broadcast videos (other binge platforms are available) but an engaging and thought provoking meeting of like minded people.

Many can’t wait to get back to in person events, but we’ve also found a significant number of people prefer being online.

We do things differently here at BoS – always have and always will – in order to give you time well spent with amazing people that helps you to really think about your business and the new heights you want to take your business to.