It seems like every trade show and event is “pivoting” to virtual right now. For those live events that didn’t integrate a virtual component before COVID-19, it’s been a painful lesson as they struggle to adapt – and quickly. Regardless of what’s happening in the world, we believe that virtual should be a natural extension of any live event, one that provides an even greater opportunity for any organization to further its mission.

There are obvious and not-so-obvious benefits to offering a virtual option. Not only are more people able to access your content, but it also provides critical access to people who may be physically or financially challenged to attend face-to-face meetings. Virtual options can help to build and maintain a more loyal event community, increase engagement and inspire more people to collaborate in ways they never have before.

Honeycomb Strategies recently had a chance to “sit” down (don’t worry, we kept everyone safe and did it virtually!) with Tahira Endean, CMP, CED, DES, head of events at the Society of Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) and author of “Intentional Event Design, Our Professional Opportunity.” SITE has been busy going through a digital transformation while working hard to build sustainability into its agenda and adopting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – an ambitious feat, for sure. We hope you’ll find Tahira’s out-of-box insights about virtual events and technology – beyond being just a current survival tactic – as helpful and inspiring as we did!