Even as in-person gatherings return, several business events stakeholders are choosing to keep a virtual component at their events, to provide more accessibility and opportunities for those unable to attend.
Vincent Lim, president of CIS Network and organiser of Archidex, opted to keep the virtual component to encourage more attendees, especially those who wanted to save on travel costs and wanted the convenience of attending from home.
Although Archidex had a physical component held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from June 29 to July 2, the virtual exhibition fared well too, attracting numerous first-time regional architects – 60 per cent of the online audience – below the age of 40.
Buoyed by this, Lim pointed out that next year, Archidex will continue to have a virtual component, and he hopes that it will be able to reach out to a younger audience who are tech-savvy, and who are comfortable navigating a digital platform.
Similarly, Mona Abdul Manap, CEO of Place Borneo, also opted for a hybrid format for the inaugural TTLx Summit, a two-day homegrown conference in Kuching that will be held from September 20-21, 2022.
The hybrid format will make it easier for her speakers, as Samuel Hungsoo Kim, founding president of the Centre of Asia Leadership Initiatives, and Florian Kaefer, founder and editor of the Sustainability Leaders Project, are both unable to be present in person.
For Mona, the hybrid format will also allow participants who chose not to travel to attend the sessions, as well as pose questions for panellists. To ensure traction online, only selected sessions will be streamed.
She added: “We ensured that the sessions were kept to a maximum of one hour. While we streamed some live, others could be watched upon demand.”
Joyce Surendra, cluster director of sales and distribution representing Pullman Miri Waterfront and Pullman Kuching, also told TTGmice that the demand for virtual connections is still ever-present.
“This is especially so for the corporate sector, where offices can be located in multiple locations. We currently see demand coming from the pharmaceutical, and oil and gas sectors.
“Accor’s All Connect enables corporate customers and meeting planners to combine physical in-hotel meetings with virtual interactions across multiple locations simultaneously. People can easily present content and see virtual participants as if they were in the same room,” she elaborated.
