If you're one of the million fans of tech events like Mobile World Congress or Facebook F8's event, pretty sure that you've become disappointed after they had announced their suspension of the events as a precaution to the wider spread of Coronavirus or COVID-19.
We know that health is much more important than these gatherings-- so we can make peace on that. However, start-up companies now recommend online conferencing as a way to gather the audience for these events while being protected inside the comfort of your homes. Why would this be a flop, though? People will not have free drinks. Yup, that's one of the reasons.
Online conferences lack something that makes it impossible; Vodka maybe!
Why Online Conferences Don't Work for Suspended Tech Events Like MWC or Facebook's F8; MSU Can Do it Though
First, it was Barcelona's Mobile World Congress, then Facebook's biggest F8 event of the year, and now even Google's annual I/O developers event. All of these major industry-changing tech events were all canceled due to the extreme spread of Coronavirus around the globe.
Normally, these events were held on huge conference halls that offer chances for start-ups to interact with bigger names in the industry. Of course, these also allow them to be with other tech smarts and professionals-- which was one of the best ways to enter the tech world if you have a business.
Unfortunately, these conferences will no longer be expected if the viral disease will not subside until the end of the year. As reported via CNBC, there's still a chance that these tech events may push through despite COVID-19, and it is through online conferences.
Hopin, a London-based start-up that serves broadcasts live events for up to 100,000 people and holds offshoot Q&A sessions and networking opportunities, recommends online conferencing for these big events, which saves them money and even protect the guests from acquiring the viral disease.
"We want to help people that are being affected by the coronavirus and their conferences," Johnny Boufarhat told CNBC in an interview. He added that the company is fast-tracking some events, "specifically to help with the Coronavirus and help organizers run the events. Everyone else is on the waitlist."
No free drinks! The reason why online tech conferences don't work
Why Online Conferences Don't Work for Suspended Tech Events Like MWC or Facebook's F8; MSU Can Do it Though
According to Wired, online conferences or virtual meetings when it comes to tech events do generally not works or gets entertained. This is because people attending these events do not just attend the seminar itself but to meet and socialize with other people.
"The problem with most virtual conferences is the inability to meet other people. I attended dozens of conferences last year for market research and found that the best moments often weren't the keynote speeches, but the breakout sessions or coffee breaks when conference attendees could bump into one another," said Xiaoyin Qu, the cofounder of a new virtual conference platform start-up called Run the World. "When people met someone at a conference whose work was relevant to them, it made the $1,000 ticket worth it. When they didn't, conferences sometimes felt like a waste of time."
Aside from this, once virtual conferences were applied, no free drinks will be given to you-- aside from asking your wife.
Michigan State University might pull off online classes
Michigan State University also said that they are thinking of holding University classes online to protect most students. Compared to those huge tech events, universities are somehow more acceptable to use online courses to teach their students. You are not allowed to have a drink for this.
"The new coronavirus outbreak is obviously a very fluid situation, and MSU is actively monitoring for how this virus might impact our region or our campus," said Dan Olsen, an MSU spokesman. "At this point, we are heeding the guidance of the CDC to protect our Spartans and will continue to do so. That means that all classes and events are moving forward as planned."
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* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of techtimes.com
