Welcome back to our “Viewpoint Series,” where each month, Nick Belcore, Executive VP at Peerless-AV, will delve into a pressing question in the Pro AV industry, offering insights on how businesses can evolve to meet the challenges of today’s rapidly changing environment.
For today’s topic, we’re examining an important question: What’s next for the virtual and hybrid event industry, and how will AV technologies enable the future of global events?
The virtual and hybrid event industry is positioned for significant growth, with advances in AV technologies playing a crucial role in shaping the future of large-scale events. While face-to-face interactions remain highly effective for certain events, such as client meetings, seminars, or conferences, there are many situations where in-person gatherings are not cost-effective or feasible. This is where virtual events, driven by AV technologies, come into play.
The next phase for the industry involves a greater integration of virtual production studios, live streams, and virtual tradeshow environments. These technologies will continue to evolve, providing more immersive, seamless, and interactive experiences for attendees around the world. One of the key benefits of virtual events is the ability to reduce costs associated with travel and event logistics, which also helps minimize the environmental impact by lowering carbon footprints. As a result, organizations are increasingly investing in these technologies, looking to consolidate and enhance existing models for live events.
Virtual events, supported by Unified Communications (UC) and Unified Video (UV) systems, are expected to grow in prominence. This is especially true as leaders seek ways to optimize both their travel budgets and sustainability goals. Virtual and hybrid events are likely to become the norm for many industries, offering global reach while still providing meaningful, engaging experiences. AV technologies will continue to make these events more accessible, interactive, and effective, ensuring that global audiences can participate, engage, and learn in real-time from anywhere.
Come back next month to see what AV industry topic we will cover in April!