The changing paradigm of digital events in Web 3.0
Since the pandemic forced us to transfer most of what we would have done in person to the internet, we’ve discovered that virtual tools are frequently as good as, if not better than, in-person resources.
With Web 3.0 entering the game, the question one needs to ask is how soon will physical meetings become a thing of the past?
The notion of Web 3.0 is that machines/computers will evaluate data acquired from the Internet of Things. This data will be analyzed by an A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) system, which will make recommendations on how to enhance your meeting. These enhancements will be based on the habits, motions, and interactions of each and every guest while at your event. Venues that have grasped IoT technology, for example, will be able to track exactly what type and how much food and beverage is consumed in real time, allowing them to order food with a just-in-time delivery service to reduce spoilage and increase margins by becoming more efficient rather than raising prices.
In a world where the metaverse exists, instead of holding a weekly Zoom meeting with all of your coworkers, you could imagine holding the meeting in a literal depiction of your office, where each person appears to be a virtual representation of themselves, seated at a digital coffee table sipping digital artisanal coffee and munching on digital donuts. If it seems a little too mundane, you could meet somewhere else, say in 1776 New York City, or in the future, on a spacecraft or in a zoo on another planet. You may opt to be someone other than yourself, such as a digital avatar you found at a local online NFT swap meet or a virtual Balenciaga store.
Physical vs. the current virtual model:
The traditional virtualized formats have their own set of benefits. The capacity to grow member participants at a very low cost and with a very low carbon footprint is clearly the most important. Even during very big events, virtual technologies and techniques may help you get more done while also fostering greater connections. Virtual formats provide the less obvious advantages of being able to adapt experiences for subgroups of users, gather and analyze data in real time, and collaborate in big groups. If you want your company’s top 1,000 employees all over the world to reaffirm its vision, values, or purpose, the correct virtual design can make it not only conceivable, but also very simple.
What keeps digital meetings ahead of any other form is its ubiquitous nature and the ease of ‘all time’ accessibility. It is also true that many yearn to be back in person for physical meetings since physical closeness tends to generate a stronger, more lasting interpersonal bond which helps better communication. It also enables shared experiences such as meals and tours by facilitating spontaneous and unscheduled connections. Live physical presentations have the potential to carry a lot of energy and authenticity. Do you recall the last event you attended? It’s not the same as listening to a recording.
All these elements are what is actually missing from the current virtual model but will soon disappear thanks to Web3 as the physical closeness shall take a center stage in a virtual 3D space.
Hybrid meeting model:
Those who look ahead are seeing something completely new on the horizon: a reimagined hybrid model. Hybrid meetings have been around for a while, but up to COVID-19, they mainly included putting a camera in the back of the room and livestreaming the event to people who couldn’t attend. Hybrid meetings may now link both of these audiences and reap the benefits of both virtual and in-person forms thanks to new virtual software tools and a greater grasp of how to blend virtual and in-person formats.
This paradigm, like the center of a Venn diagram, strives to highlight the experiences that connect the two domains and capture the best of each. For major events that draw people from several areas, one bridge can be made up of small pods or groups of individuals that travel together. Depending on the functions and regions represented, they may communicate in person with their pod and online with others, or vice versa.
A hybrid design allows us to concentrate on the benefits of each mode. Interactions and content that benefit from nonverbal cues and eye contact should be conducted in person, while material that benefits from the size, transparency, and exposure of virtual engagement should be conducted via Miro, Trello, Zoom, and other similar platforms.
When planning for 2021, whether it’s regular leadership meetings, steering committee meetings, or larger events or workshops, you can’t predict how the year will play out today. Three questions, however, can assist you in taking the first steps toward a hybrid strategy that emphasises the best of virtual encounters while regaining some of the advantages of in-person engagement.
Why:
Why are we getting together? What are we attempting to accomplish? What exactly is the goal?
Who:
Who will be participating, and what are your goals for them?
How:
How and for whom might the virtual and physical worlds collide? What fresh opportunities do you see emerging? Do you have the necessary skills in-house to assess the evolving environment of virtual event platforms? If not, look for it.
Synergy of the current model with Web3:
Working for you, IoT and Web 3.0 adoption will boost your productivity. No longer will you have to spend hours analyzing data or waiting for replies to a post-event survey. Web 3.0 will also make location recommendations depending on the weather, the time of year, the number of participants, and a variety of other aspects to help you arrange your event more efficiently. The data, insights, and suggestions you get will be sent in real time, and they may even change the agenda and discussion flow for the coming year.
While we’re still a good distance from experiencing the metaverse, a limitless digital universe first imagined by science fiction writers, the epidemic did increase people’s acquaintance with immersive virtual reality. Parties or gatherings hosted by virtual avatars, or conferences hosted in a virtual convention hall, for example, provide a glimpse into what the metaverse may be like. People who are familiar with Fortnite may be aware of in-app purchases for their avatars and may even have attended Travis Scott’s concert in Fortnite, which drew over 12 million players.
They are still top-down centralized systems, but they begin to offer a vision of society in the future metaverse that is limitless and where everyone may participate in its success.
The future of the internet will be an exciting journey filled with untapped opportunities.. With blockchain, artificial intelligence, and other IOT technologies, the future internet will be fundamentally transformed, while also adding value to Web 3.0. We don’t know if the approaching transformation will be a cognitive awakening or merely an inevitable evolution of the existing internet, but a new radical movement is already forming beneath the calm surface.
