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5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Virtual Science Exhibitions


By: Noha Rahhal

Did you know that, currently, there are more than 2,500 online museums that you can visit? The number of virtual museums, exhibitions, and events has been on the rise since the COVID-19 breakout in 2020. Back then, the world was struck by an imposed lockdown forcing all sectors across every nation around the globe to halt their activities.

Not only did exhibitors and art curators find themselves stifled in a socially-distant world, but other professionals across all industries also had to come up with innovative and virtual options to carry on with their activities. Three years later, with mitigated pandemic risk, the tendency towards a parallel metaverse has been ongoing. Whether it is the fear of another health catastrophe or concerns over a natural disaster brought about by the digression of global warming, we still have to witness a bigger evolvement of automated systems and virtual inventions.

Here are some reasons that may encourage you to start planning for your next virtual science exhibition:

  1. Virtual Exhibitions Are Cost-Efficient

It is no secret that organizing a real-life exhibition entails a hefty price tag. Even if big investments were welcomed in the past, the Return on Investment (ROI) has become questionable with unpredictable disruptions, especially after what we started witnessing in 2020 with a global lockdown. Nowadays, organizers shy away from the traditional events calendar; they would either minimize the number of physical events implemented in a one-year time or, better still, they would rather look for virtual options. Virtual solutions reduce the cost of holding events by cutting down on expenses related to production, travel, accommodation, rentals, etc. Moreover, minimizing the budget for an actual event set-up would help organizers better utilize their resources in other areas, such as media buying, sending out PR kits to influencers and VIP guests, etc. 

  1. Non-Stop Operations

Have you been in the position of putting a prompt end to an exhibition and/or event just because of a sudden change in the weather forecast? Has anyone from your team ever approached you to skip an evening shift during an ongoing exhibition due to a family commitment only to find yourself in the middle of a dilemma of how to find another last-minute substitute? Well, we have all been there. Maneuvering through unpredictable dynamics comes with the territory for any event-planning job; however, it can be quite daunting if such changes affect the operations of your exhibition.

Virtual exhibitions are designed mainly to provide a 24/7 operational model with little to no human supervision. With tools allowing attendees to self-navigate their journey throughout an event’s agenda, there is minimum pressure to dedicate human resources all-day long to ensure smooth operations. Such a feature harmoniously fits into the current and growing approach toward hybrid and remote working environments. Even if you need to perform quality checks from time to time, you can simply ask your team members to log into their laptops and/or cell phones to ensure that everything is running efficiently.

In addition to not worrying much about resource allocation, you will also experience minimal surprises related to sudden circumstantial conditions, such as pandemic breakouts, weather forecasts, limited availability of venues, etc., and your virtual exhibition will be running all day long and disaster-proof. Even if you need to run some software updates or carry out a maintenance job, you can definitely schedule these downtimes while communicating directly to your subscribers, followers, and/or potential audiences about the current conditions beforehand.

  1. Attracting Worldwide Audience

Distance and cost are considered to be among the main reasons why people may avoid visiting physical exhibitions and events. Luckily, e-events offer an affordable and accessible option for those segments with scientific interests and preferences. Through a simple click, anyone can purchase an online ticket to a virtual exhibition, go through the agenda, visit the exhibitors’ booths of interest, and even interact with speakers or special guests via email and live chats.

The availability of cultural and scientific entertainment at one’s fingertips can also bring together people from different parts of the world to explore and interact with your content. You might need to provide translated versions of the illustrated content, but this will definitely boost the attendance and interaction levels.

  1. A Packed Agenda with Smooth Operations

If you have been involved in events that brought together dozens of speakers and exhibitors, then you must know by hard how tricky it is to ensure a swift agenda, pre-event rehearsals, confirm speakers’ arrival times, handle speakers’ and/or exhibitors’ stage fright, and the exhausting to-do list goes on and on.

To your greatest surprise, or sometimes disappointment, you would discover that the attendance and interaction rates for each segment might not be as expected. Conditions related to timing, viewers’ level of interest in the presented topic, or even non-intended distractions if some shows are happening simultaneously at the same time slot, might hinder an optimized learning outcome for audiences.

E-exhibitions allow you to display a considerable number of shows, talks, and other interactively informative materials while giving audiences the leisure to navigate through the agenda according to their preference, backgrounds, interests, etc. Virtual set-ups can also provide exhibitors and speakers a chance to hone their presentation and pitching skills while resting assured that their content will not be missed for the wrong reasons.

  1. E Stands for “Environmentally Friendly”

Virtual events are considered to be an environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional events, as they result in lower carbon emissions, due to less travel frequency, reduced power and water usage, and very little generated waste. Despite all the green perks, e-exhibitions are not bullet-proof when it comes to eco-friendliness, as the production of virtual exhibits requires electricity to power the internet, in addition to the lifecycle emissions of users’ electronic gadgets. We cannot freely claim that Virtual Exhibitions have zero carbon footprint; however, studies show that the environmental impact of e-events is of much lesser severity than their original real-time versions.

Running short on sustainable impact should not be a big challenge for organizers. One thing is that as a science exhibitor/event organizer, you will set the bar for others in the same industry in terms of awareness and influence. Secondly, as you enter the virtual era, you will certainly be more encouraged to take further and more responsible steps, such as reporting GHG emissions. Decarbonizing virtual events can also better enhance your conscious endeavors, as you may consider relying on renewable energy resources to power the internet supply.

 

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