Virtual Meetings Need More Than a Flawless Livestream To Be Successful

Will 2018 be the year that virtual and hybrid meetings really take off? There's evidence that meeting planners are gearing up to take advantage of the creativity and flexibility that technology affords. It's not as easy, however, as setting up a livestream or Skype session. Care and nuance should go into developing a successful event using digital tools. Nearly a third of respondents in most global regions predict that virtual or hybrid technology will be used in more than 10 percent of their meetings in 2018, according to the American Express Global Meetings and Events Forecast; in North America, the number is 28 percent. Leaders across the world agree that bringing people together virtually may be helpful for smaller meetings or to complement a live face-to-face meeting, but virtual meetings will not replace gatherings in real life, or IRL. “Virtual and hybrid meetings are propelling exponentially,” said Debi Scholar, virtual meeting expert and strategic meeting manag