The current pandemic has had a significant impact on the global events industry. As a result of this, we have witnessed a huge spike in the number of virtual events taking place over the coming months. In order to successfully pivot away from the traditional events landscape, organizers have had to shift their operations like never before. Rather than viewing this as a challenge, events now have the opportunity to be broadcasted on a global scale, with the potential of reaching larger audiences than ever before.
Korea IT Times had an interview with Jonathan Allen, San Francisco Blockchain Week co-founder, and discusses the opportunities and obstacles associated with hosting a virtual event. Jonathan’s passion for blockchain started in 2013 where he delved into the world of Bitcoin trading and collecting crypto assets. Jonathan transferred to UC Berkeley where he co-founded Blockchain at Berkeley while studying for his B.A. in ISF for Economics, Business, & Computer Science.
How did you find shifting from a traditional in-person event to a virtual event? What were some of the challenges you encountered?
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, every aspect of society has been upended. From healthcare to the economy, education, and work, to travel and live events, no aspect of society has been unscathed. Moving from a physical to a digital event meant we had to move quickly, adopt a high level of flexibility, and rise up to the challenge by engaging other ecosystems from around the world in a true community effort.
Thankfully, conducting virtual events was not a totally new experience for us, as online webinars and roundtables have become increasingly popular in recent years. Of course, successfully hosting an event the scale of Unitize online was a challenging endeavor and one that required meticulous planning while drawing on the extensive experience of our team. From our point of view, it was important that Unitize maintained a high level of engagement among participants from start to finish, and I believe our unique networking portal helped facilitate seamless user experience.
What were some highlights from the conference?
Attendee satisfaction is always one of the most important things. The feedback we have received has been resoundingly positive so far, and it was a real thrill to facilitate robust discussions led by our stacked roster of speakers including Congressman Ted Budd, Akon, Vitalik Buterin, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), CFTC Chairman Heath Tarbert, and Dan Morehead, Founder, and CEO of Pantera Capital.
Do you think there will be a future for virtual events in a post-COVID era?
Absolutely. Virtually every industry will have a slightly different approach post-pandemic. Much like how the future of working will involve a high degree of remote work, the future of events will unquestionably have virtual strands to them. Over time, people will become more attuned to networking online instead of in-person and will see the benefits of limiting their travel time to and from events.
While you can’t completely replicate the buzz and excitement of a conference room full of eager attendees, event organizers can still foster a real sense of purpose and community within online event offerings. In addition, virtual events allow for significantly more engagement from a global audience, companies, and speakers. The key now is finding ways to fine-tune these virtual events and collate feedback from everyone involved.
After the success of Unitize, what have been the key learnings from an event organizer perspective?
Unitize reaffirmed many of my core beliefs pertaining to successful event management. The strength of any event is intrinsically linked to the strength of the community of attendees. For the vibrancy and energy of an event to endure, the schedule must be expertly laid out, with the enticing subject matter being discussed at every turn. Striking the right balance between thought leadership debates and networking opportunities is very important, and I feel the Unitize networking portal was a hugely valuable resource for attendees to leverage, in terms of maximizing their time at the event.
Another key takeaway from the event is the ever-growing appetite for blockchain exploration and discovery, which was omnipresent from start to finish, and gives expression to the continued maturation of the space globally. Overall, we were really encouraged by the high level of engagement throughout the event and look forward to taking our learnings and delivering an even more powerful user experience next time.
