How Virtual Events Help Boost Employee Engagement

In the last two years, the popularity of virtual events has skyrocketed. Despite the world pivoting back to old ways and face-to-face meetings, it seems that digital events are here to stay — so much so that Cisco’s report found that 17% of all internet traffic comes from individuals watching live event videos.

In the professional world, virtual events can bring a lot of benefits such as attracting more clients, promoting innovation, and bringing operations into the modern age. It can also help increase your employee’s overall engagement. This is important as it improves a workplace’s culture, reduces turnover rates, and increases productivity.

But in what ways do virtual events boost employee engagement?

Virtual events encourage professional development

Your company can hold professional events such as conferences and seminars. You can invite industry leaders to talk about their insights. This will give your workers access to the latest trends and data within their field of work and promote their professional development.

As the Harvard Business Review explains, encouraging employees to continue learning will help keep them engaged, because they can apply this newfound knowledge in the workplace. 86% of workers say that they would choose jobs that offer a strategy for professional development, and virtual events can be the avenue to do so.

Be sure to choose speakers that have credentials to back their status as experts. You should also ensure that the topics being discussed are relevant to your employees’ line of work. By doing so, you will be assured that they will absorb as much knowledge as possible, which they will then be able to use in their jobs.

Promotes bonding among employees

Aside from talks, you can also host virtual events that promote socialization and bonding. This can dictate how well your team works together and the atmosphere of your working environment, so taking the time to encourage the building of good relationships can make a difference.

A write-up on relieving team stress from LHH notes that “virtual happy hours” — where friends or colleagues gather via video call to get together — can be a great way to stay in contact, relieve anxiety, and bring back socialization to hybrid or remote workplaces. You can also host other activities such as company-wide yoga classes or game nights.

A great incentive to get employees to join is to have a budget that will cover the event. For virtual happy hours, offer to pay for two of their drinks. For game nights, reimburse them for the food and drinks they have during the event. This shows them that you are trying to make your company culture more engaging for them.

Keeps them in the comfort of their own home

Because of the popularity of working from home, many workers prefer the online setup over going to the office. With virtual events, they can attend the functions you have planned from wherever they are most comfortable.

At our virtual Airbrush Events show, attendees can have fun while being entertained in a remote setup. They will be able to see how shirt designs are made in real-time, while they converse with the artist. They will also be able to get a unique garment without having to leave their house.

Having virtual events will help employees feel like your company is taking care of them. They won’t have to worry about the hassle of getting from one place to another just to attend a social event, ensuring that they are not only safe but that they are also enjoying the time spent with their colleagues. This will boost their engagement, as they will feel more motivated to work for an employer who looks out for their best interests.