Virtual vs in-person events – what’s the post-pandemic future of medical education?

Over the past two years, the seemingly never-ending lockdowns have seen us attending virtual events; our cousin’s baby shower on Zoom, Justin Bieber’s concert via Livestream and our work Christmas party on Teams.

When the pandemic first hit, Onyx Health devised a bespoke digital medical education platform, the Interactive Learning Environment (ILE), which provides a unique immersive digital experience with healthcare professionals (HCPs) during and after the COVID-19 crisis. .

While virtual events provided us with many unexpected benefits, there is still a lingering sense they didn’t fulfil the innate need we all have for human connection.

Now that the world is beginning to return to a sense of normal, and larger events are starting to open up, there are mixed opinions on the role of virtual events in a post-pandemic world. We’ve weighed up the pros and cons of both in-person and virtual conferences within the medical industry:

In-person events – Do we need that human connection?

The crux of the debate is whether there is something about the authentic connections we form at a face-to-face event that makes them more valuable, providing us with something digital interaction can’t deliver. Here are some of the key advantages:

• Making more impactful connections – Face-to-face events take away the worry of technical interruptions and communication disconnects, providing a more direct, immediate experience that tends to have a more lasting impact.
• Receiving attendee’s full attention – A traditional congress avoids your symposium being played in the background while on a lunch break, or glanced at periodically in between replying to emails and doing an online shop.
• Hands-on product interaction – Attendees can tangibly see or try your product, something which is particularly important in the field of medical devices. They can really get to grips with it and develop a tactile sense of how it functions.
• Spontaneous engagement – There are more chances of impromptu meetings as delegates walk through the central hall to grab a coffee, something which virtual conferences haven’t been able to replicate successfully.

Virtual events – Can digital technology enhance your interactions?

Recent advances in digital communication technology offer the tantalising prospect of an augmented form of interaction and audience engagement, above and beyond what a face-to-face event can provide. We’ve pulled together some of the key benefits of this approach:

• Reaching a global audience – With the potential for attendees to participate from anywhere in the world, virtual events can help you expand your audience to people who wouldn’t have ordinarily been able to attend. It transcends the limits of time, space and locality, offering a new world of possibilities.
• Data-based targetting – Virtual congresses enable easy attendance tracking; you can even find out what minute delegates left a symposium presentation. You can also gather more data about your attendees, allowing you to reach your target audiences more effectively.
• Higher profile speakers – You may be more likely to enrol high-demand speakers and key opinion leaders who typically have limited time for in-person conferences. Not requiring travel could enable you to secure more influential high profile speakers from anywhere in the world.
• Cutting the costs – Virtual events have the potential to be more cost-effective, as you can eliminate hospitality costs and venue insurance. Presentation recordings and other content can be used post-event, something known as evergreen content which doesn’t require updating and refreshing continuously.

What’s the verdict?

The latest digital communication techniques such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)  offer  innovative forms of engagement. However, there is something about personal face-to-face interaction that digital communication can’t and won’t realistically replace.

Virtual events have become increasingly normalised during the pandemic and are likely to have an increased role thereafter. We also need to remember that while the vaccine rollout has curtailed the spread and the impact of the virus thus far; we may continue to see major outbreaks in the future. The use of online solutions will have a vital role in keeping the channels of communication open during surges in cases and the possible reintroduction of restrictions.

There’s been much talk of face-to-face medical meetings becoming a thing of the past. However, the predictions of thier demise are much exaggerated. Now that the restrictions have been lifted and we can socialise again, there will be an increasing demand for face-to-face events. People need that sense of personal connection that has been lost during the pandemic.

Face-to-face and virtual events should be viewed as complementary and mutually supporting communication tactics, potentially through hybrid events, rather than a simplistic choice between one or the other.