Are on-line trainings the future of the events industry? I don’t know about you, but in the past year I feel my inbox has been inundated with offers to view webinars or partake in e-learning courses. Even here at FTF we have been getting far more inquiries from clients about our webinar services and we even have plans to launch our Surviving a Hedge Fund Operational Due Diligence training course online soon.
Don’t get me wrong, I think webinars and on-line courses are great. They allow you to reach a larger audience while cutting back on costs. They also allow the viewers to receive the same quality of information from their desk or home, without having to travel to attend a training course or conference. All beneficial points! But do all of these things mean you should you always turn to an on-line course? I don’t think so. I think there is a time and place for both the live meeting and the on-line course. When you are looking to reach a large audience and present a short session then the on-line course is your go-to option. On the other hand, I don’t think you can overlook the networking opportunities and face-to-face time you get at a live event. Live events are where you really cultivate your relationships, relationships that could lead to business deals or partnerships in the future.
So what is the answer… what do people prefer? On-line courses or live events? We recently sent out a survey to our clients and received a great response. From our survey we have resulted that 5.7% of the respondents would prefer listening to a live recording with a specified date and time. 35.1% prefer to listen to a recorded, on-demand session that they can watch at their leisure. Finally, 59.3% said they prefer to have both the option of live and on-demand versions.
I think the final answer, as these results show, is that you have to find a good balance between the convenience of online courses and the necessity to attend industry events and have face-to-face time with your peers. As the survey results show, a majority of people want the option for both live and on-demand events. It’s good to know people haven’t been swept away with advances in technology and can still see that face-to-face communication and networking is a MUST in any industry.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Where do you think the event industry is headed?
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