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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 8, No. 7

Publication Date: July 25, 2021

DOI:10.14738/assrj.87.10369. Ton, H. N. N., & Le, N. K. (2021). Best Practices for Virtual Events During the Covid-19 Pandemic - Focusing on Attendee Engagement.

Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(7). 103-118.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Best Practices for Virtual Events During the Covid-19 Pandemic -

Focusing on Attendee Engagement

Han Nu Ngoc Ton

International University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

Block 6, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ngoc Kim Le

International University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

Block 6, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a severe hazard: not only to human health but

also to the economy on both a national and a global level. The pandemic has

particularly affected the event industry, which relies on mass gatherings. This

research aims to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the event industry and propose

best practices for virtual events in terms of attendee engagement. A qualitative

research approach was applied to generate insights from industry experts in real

contexts in Vietnam. The study drew on interviewees with four participants

engaged in virtual events: two from the event industry, and two from the education

sector. This research focuses on three key elements to enhance the level of attendee

engagement in virtual events: the four realms of experience, storytelling and

attendee objectives when joining a given event. The study also highlights the

relationships among these three critical elements while offering theoretical

contributions and suggesting best practices.

Keywords: virtual events, attendee engagement, best practice, COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

Getz (2008, p. 403) defined events as “an important motivator of tourism”, which “figure

prominently in the development and marketing plans of most destinations”. According to

Richards and Palmer (2010), meanwhile, events play a significant role in globalisation

processes in terms of culture; they are crucial facilitators of urban growth and have become a

means of exchanging certain cultural, social and economic values. Events are critical resources

that attract various groups of attendees based on different event types, their uniqueness, and

their promoted values (Hernandez-Mogollon, Folgado-Fernnandez, & Duarte, 2014).

In late December 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia from an unknown source in Wuhan (Hubei

province, China) – later called Coronavirus (COVID-19) – was reported by the Chinese Health

Authorities. Jamal and Budke (2020, p. 182) considered the COVID-19 pandemic “the first real

global health emergency experienced by many members of today’s society”. Indeed, the COVID- 19 outbreak has led to unprecedented new interventions and severe consequences, such as

national and global lockdowns, the implementation of social distancing measures, quarantine

and isolation, and restrictions on mass gatherings. Consequently, the event and tourism

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 8, Issue 7, July-2021

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

industries have suffered a significant downturn from the pandemic (Mohanty, Dhoundiyal, &

Choudhury, 2020).

Numerous domestic and international events have been cancelled or postponed to prioritise

human health and impede the spread of the virus. As such, virtual events have become a

potential solution for event organisers during the pandemic (Seraphin, 2020; Madray, 2020).

Consumer experiences in virtual environments are a leading factor in the success of the

consumer market in several industries, such as event organising; the concept has been much

explored in marketing theory (Klaus & Maklan, 2011). According to Getz (2008, p. 404), “much

of the attractiveness of events is that they are never the same, and you have to ‘be there’ to

enjoy the unique experience fully; if you miss it, it’s a lost opportunity”. Communication and

event experiences are critical considerations in virtual events because they can add interest

and value to attendees and the hospitality and tourism industries. Furthermore, creating

positive online experiences for attendees is essential for the success of an event (McGillivray,

2014). Kharouf et al. (2020) suggested that a good online experience can produce positive

behavioural intentions towards the event. The authors proposed three factors affecting

consumers’ online experiences: interactions between or among attendees, effective

communication, and online engagement.

This research explores the opportunities and challenges of utilising virtual platforms as a new

strategy to improve attendee experiences and discusses how event organisers can focus on

attendee engagement during virtual events. The study aims to answer the following research

questions.

1. What elements affect attendee engagement in virtual events?

2. How can event organisers maintain and enhance attendee engagement during virtual

events?

The research offers practical implications by assessing how to improve attendee engagement

when substituting virtual events for physical events during the COVID-19 pandemic to comply

with social distancing measures.

LITERATURE REVIEW

What is an event?

For the tourism industry in general, Getz (2008, p. 403) defined events as an important

motivator of tourism that figure prominently in the development and marketing plans of most

destinations. Events have been categorised as instances that are organised only once or

infrequently for a certain period, allowing attendees to enjoy social experiences outside of their

daily lives (Jago & Shaw, 1998). Getz (2005) noted that these occasions, which are organised to

present various experiences based on cultural, social, and entertainment factors and go outside

the scope of usual everyday experiences, are called special events or planned events. Events are

also regarded as occasions whereby individuals can present their personality, conduct

ceremonies, and celebrate with others (Raj, Walters, & Rashid, 2017). As observed by Fletcher,

Dunn and Prince (2009, p. 52), the frequency and types of events are increasing every day and

include, for example, “sport and recreation events, professional meetings, conventions, fairs,

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Ton, H. N. N., & Le, N. K. (2021). Best Practices for Virtual Events During the Covid-19 Pandemic - Focusing on Attendee Engagement. Advances in

Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(7). 103-118.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.87.10369

festivals, expositions, fundraising, corporate, community, marketing, and entertainment

events”.

Bladen et al. (2017) posited four central characteristics of an event: temporary happenings,

displays of ritual/celebration, uniqueness, and gathering of people. With regard to the first

characteristic (temporary happenings), events are momentary, with defined beginnings and

endings, and are thoroughly planned using event programmes or schedules (Bladen et al., 2017;

Getz and Page, 2019). In terms of the second characteristic (displays of ritual/celebration),

scholars have argued that the need to hold an event is based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

(Bladen et al., 2017). Humans are on a journey to fulfil their potential through the five orders

of need (physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self- actualisation needs). Self-actualisation needs are considered to be the main factor inducing

motivation to organise events. According to Goldblatt (2013), the first two characteristics may

be regarded as fundamental matters that make an event special. The third characteristic is

uniqueness. It is impossible to imitate an event entirely, although there could be similarities in

size or form; the event’s contents, human factors, and programme scenarios are the leading

features adding to an event’s uniqueness (Getz & Page, 2019). Moreover, the experiences

created from a specific event are only available once and cannot be easily recreated (Getz &

Page, 2019). Attendees experience the same events differently as they have distinct reactions

to an event’s touchpoints. Meanwhile, attendees’ experiences will be diverse in different events

regardless of contexts and programmes because their expectations, feelings, and behaviours

are continuously refreshed. Hence, events become more attractive and unique (Crowther and

Orefice, 2014; Getz and Page, 2019). Finally, regarding the fourth characteristic (gathering of

people), mass gatherings are defined as events that concentrate many people within a specific

area for a particular goal over a certain duration. These gatherings can be a single event or a set

of different events (e.g. sports events, music events, conferences, and exhibitions) at various

venues (World Health Organization, 2021).

Shone and Parry (2019) proposed five additional characteristics: perishability, labour

intensiveness, intangibility, ambience, and personal interaction. Firstly, the uniqueness of an

event makes it perishable as it cannot be repeated in the same way. The perishability

characteristic of events could be considered a service experience, contributing to the

enhancement of authenticity (Shone and Parry, 2019). Secondly, turning to the intangibility

characteristic, Richards and Palmer (2010) argued that the culture of a host city constitutes an

intangible part of events. Shone and Parry (2019, p. 18) noted that “the activity is more or less

intangible” within an event, and it is essential to make the experience more tangible in order to

enhance attendees’ favourable impressions and memories. Thirdly, regarding labour

intensiveness, Sage HR (2017) referred to human resources as playing a central role in running

an event smoothly and successfully. The level of labour intensiveness depends on the degree of

complexity and uniqueness of a specific event. Event managers can predict the number of staff

needed based on event types, the number of guests, service types, working experience, the

quality of current staff, avenue layout, and duration for preparation and completion (Shone and

Parry, 2019). Fourthly, ambience is regarded as one of the most significant features predicting

event outcomes (Shone and Parry, 2019). Creating positive customer experiences and customer

loyalty relies upon several factors within a physical context related to atmosphere or ambience.

These factors include, for instance, food, drinks, lights, and sounds (Pullman and Gross, 2004);

social factors, such as staff–staff, staff–guests, and guest–guest interactions; and design factors,