The Effectiveness of Virtual Events During Covid-19 Pandemics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.97.12655Keywords:
Virtual events, Interpersonal interaction, Attendee experience, COVID-19Abstract
Events suffer from severe impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on mass gatherings. The industry shifts to digital environment to sustain. However, virtual events’ limitation is multi-dimensional interaction resulting in consumer experience and satisfaction. Therefore, the effectiveness of virtual events is questioned. Key themes of COVID-19 impacts on the event industry and virtual event environment are review. Then, a conceptual model on event experience is applied as the theoretical framework of this research. This research is guided by the constructivism approach. Using qualitative methods and a semi-structured questionnaire, six interviews were conducted to exploit narratives on virtual event interaction and attendee experience. Data are analyzed according to three key themes of pre-, during-, and post-event experience. The incompletion of five senses in virtual event design restrains interpersonal interaction which negatively affect attendee experience. Some practices are recommended to increase virtual event’s effectiveness, including virtual avatars, three-dimensional projection, and hybrid events. Experience on virtual events is negative due to low degree of interpersonal interaction. Various application of virtual reality technology is suggested to improve effectiveness. Despite some limitations, this research has expanded the literature of virtual events.
References
B.J. Pine and J.H. Gilmore, The experience economy: past, present and future, in Handbook on the Experience Economy, J. Sundbo and F. Sørensen, eds., Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013, pp. 21–44.
B.T. Nilsen and B.E. Dale, Defining and categorizing experience industries, in Handbook on the Experience Economy, J. Sundbo and F. Sørensen, eds., Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013, pp. 65–83.
D. Getz, Event tourism: Definition, evolution, and research, Tour. Manag. 29 (2008), pp. 403–428.
R. Gruneau and J. Horne, Mega-events and globalization: a critical introduction, in Mega-Events and Globalization: Capital and Spectacle in a Changing World Order, R. Gruneau and J. Horne, eds., Routledge, London, 2015, pp. 13–40.
T.D. Andersson, J. Armbrecht and E. Lundberg, Impact of Mega-Events on the Economy, Asian Bus. Manag. 7 (2008), pp. 163–179.
D. Getz and S.J. Page, Event Studies: Theory, Research and Policy for Planned Events, 4th ed.Routledge, New York, 2019.
V.W. Turner, Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1969.
S. Jahn, T.B. Cornwell, J. Drengner and H. Gaus, Temporary communitas and willingness to return to events, J. Bus. Res. 92 (2018), pp. 329–338.
J.S. Madray, The Impact of COVID-19 on Event Management Industry, Int. J. Eng. Appl. Sci. Technol. 5 (2020), pp. 533–535.
R. Dixon, C. Hall and F. Shawon, Using Virtual Reality and Web Conferencing Technologies: Exploring Alternatives for Microteaching in a Rural Region, Northwest J. Teach. Educ. 14 (2019), .
H.V. Nguyen, W. Dang, H. Nguyen, T.N.H. Nguyen, T.M.N. Nguyen, T.D. Vu et al., How Does Environmental Interpretation Affect Psychological Well-Being? A Study Conducted in the Context of COVID-19, Sustainability 13 (2021), pp. 8522.
H. Nguyen, H.V. Nguyen, N.B. Le, T.T.T. Pham and N. Nguyen, Online book fairs during the Covid-19 pandemic: The experience of Vietnam, Logos 32 (2021), pp. 37–43.
A. Shone and B. Parry, Successful Event Management: A Practical Handbook, 5th ed.Cengage Learning EMEA, 2019.
J. Sundbo and F. Sørensen, Introduction to the experience economy, in Handbook on the Experience Economy, J. Sundbo and F. Sørensen, eds., Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013, pp. 1–18.
S. Formica and M. Uysal, Market Segmentation of an International Cultural-Historical Event in Italy, J. Travel Res. 36 (1998), pp. 16–24.
M.R. Christie and A.M. Morrison, The Tourism System: An Introductory Text, Prentice Hall, 1985.
J.J. Goldblatt, Special Events: The Art and Science of Celebration, Van Nostrand Reinhold International, 1990.
C.M. Hall, Hallmark Tourist Events: Impacts, Management and Planning., Belhaven, 1992.
D.E. Hawkins and J.J. Goldblatt, Event Management Implications for Tourism Education, Tour. Recreat. Res. 20 (1995), pp. 42–45.
S. Brown and J. James, Event design and management: ritual sacrifice?, in Festival and events management: An International Arts and Culture Perspective, I. Yeoman, M. Robertson, J. Ali-Knight, S. Drummond and U. McMahon-Beattie, eds., Routledge, 2003, pp. 53–64.
J. Tum, P. Norton and J.N. Wright, Management of Event Operations, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2006.
J.R. Silvers, G.A.J. Bowdin, W.J. O’Toole and K.B. Nelson, Towards an International Event Management Body of Knowledge (EMBOK), Event Manag. 9 (2005), pp. 185–198.
S. Brown, Emerging Professionalism in the Event Industry: A Practitioner’s Perspective, Event Manag. 18 (2014), pp. 15–24.
B.J. Pine and J.H. Gilmore, The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage, 1st ed.Harvard Business School, Boston, 1999.
S. Tanford, R. Montgomery and K.B. Nelson, Factors that Influence Attendance, Satisfaction, and Loyalty for Conventions, J. Conv. Event Tour. 13 (2012), pp. 290–318.
G. Richards, L. Marques and K. Mein, Event Design: Social Perspectives and Practices, Routledge, 2014.
V. Antchak and O. Ramsbottom, The Fundamentals of Event Design, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon, 2020.
J. Mair and J.H. Laing, Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: the role of sustainability-focused events, J. Sustain. Tour. 21 (2013), pp. 1113–1128.
I.A. Wong, Y.K.P. Wan and S. Qi, Green events, value perceptions, and the role of consumer involvement in festival design and performance, J. Sustain. Tour. 23 (2015), pp. 294–315.
A.K. Fleming, P.E. Rutledge, G.C. Dixon and J.S. Peralta, When the Smoke Clears: Focusing Events, Issue Definition, Strategic Framing, and the Politics of Gun Control*, Soc. Sci. Q. 97 (2016), pp. 1144–1156.
J. Wu, A. Rajesh, Y.-N. Huang, K. Chhugani, R. Acharya, K. Peng et al., Virtual meetings promise to eliminate geographical and administrative barriers and increase accessibility, diversity and inclusivity, Nat. Biotechnol. 40 (2022), pp. 133–137.
J.A.L. Ludvigsen and J.W. Hayton, Toward COVID-19 secure events: considerations for organizing the safe resumption of major sporting events, Manag. Sport Leis. 27 (2022), pp. 135–145.
M.R. Davahli, W. Karwowski and R. Taiar, A System Dynamics Simulation Applied to Healthcare: A Systematic Review, Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17 (2020), pp. 5741.
H. Górska-Warsewicz and O. Kulykovets, Hotel Brand Loyalty—A Systematic Literature Review, Sustainability 12 (2020), pp. 4810.
M. Nicola, Z. Alsafi, C. Sohrabi, A. Kerwan, A. Al-Jabir, C. Iosifidis et al., The socio-economic implications of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19): A review, Int. J. Surg. 78 (2020), pp. 185–193.
Y. Yu, S. Xu, G. Li and H. Kong, A systematic review of research on abusive supervision in hospitality and tourism, Int. J. Contemp. Hosp. Manag. 32 (2020), pp. 2473–2496.
Covid continues to wreak havoc on the events industry. Available at https://www.investmentmonitor.ai/sectors/real-estate/covid-wreak-havoc-events-industry.
J. Yin and Y. Ni, COVID-19 event strength, psychological safety, and avoidance coping behaviors for employees in the tourism industry, J. Hosp. Tour. Manag. 47 (2021), pp. 431–442.
S. Gössling, D. Scott and C.M. Hall, Pandemics, tourism and global change: a rapid assessment of COVID-19, J. Sustain. Tour. 29 (2021), pp. 1–20.
P.K. Ozili and T. Arun, Spillover of COVID-19: Impact on the Global Economy, SSRN Electron. J. (2020), .
O.H. Chi, G. Denton and D. Gursoy, Artificially intelligent device use in service delivery: a systematic review, synthesis, and research agenda, J. Hosp. Mark. Manag. 29 (2020), pp. 757–786.
G. Bukovska, A. Mezgaile and A. Klepers, The pressure of technological innovations in meeting and event industry under the COVID-19 influence, in ENVIRONMENT. TECHNOLOGIES. RESOURCES. Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference, 2 (2021), pp. 44–50.
M.P. Eve, The Great Automatic Grammatizator: writing, labour, computers, Crit. Q. 59 (2017), pp. 39–54.
N.L.P.Y.S. Ningsih and M. Dokhi, Determinant of Labor Force Resilience Against The Employment Impact of The Covid-19 Pandemic in Bali Province, Indonesia: An Application of Survival Analysis, in Proceedings of The International Conference on Data Science and Official Statistics, 2021 (2022), pp. 771–781.
P. Zhai, Get Real: A Philosophical Adventure in Virtual Reality, 1st ed.Rowman & Littlefield, 1998.
B. Damer, MEETING IN THE ETHER: A BRIEF HISTORY OF VIRTUAL WORLDS AS A MEDIUM FOR USER-CREATED EVENTS, Artifact 2 (2008), pp. 94–107.
L. Meinel, M. Hess, M. Findeisen and G. Hirtz, Effective display resolution of 360 degree video footage in virtual reality, in 2017 IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE), 2017, pp. 21–24.
S. Choi, K. Jung and S. Do Noh, Virtual reality applications in manufacturing industries: Past research, present findings, and future directions, Concurr. Eng. 23 (2015), pp. 40–63.
M. Kinateder, E. Ronchi, D. Nilsson, M. Kobes, M. Müller, P. Pauli et al., Virtual Reality for Fire Evacuation Research, 2014, pp. 313–321.
A.A. Rizzo, M. Schultheis, K.A. Kerns and C. Mateer, Analysis of assets for virtual reality applications in neuropsychology, Neuropsychol. Rehabil. 14 (2004), pp. 207–239.
M. Javaid and A. Haleem, Virtual reality applications toward medical field, Clin. Epidemiol. Glob. Heal. 8 (2020), pp. 600–605.
Mintel, Digital Trends Autumn - UK - October 2016, London, 2016.
B. Barrett, Virtual Teaching And Strategies: Transitioning From Teaching Traditional Classes To Online Classes, Contemp. Issues Educ. Res. 3 (2011), pp. 17.
D.M. de Oliveira Dias, D.R. de O. Albergarias Lopes and A.C. Teles, Will Virtual Replace Classroom Teaching? Lessons from Virtual Classes via Zoom in the Times of COVID-19, J. Adv. Educ. Philos. 04 (2020), pp. 208–213.
X. Zhang, P.O. de Pablos and Q. Xu, Culture effects on the knowledge sharing in multi-national virtual classes: A mixed method, Comput. Human Behav. 31 (2014), pp. 491–498.
T. Nguyen, The effectiveness of online learning: Beyond no significant difference and future horizons, MERLOT J. Online Learn. Teach. 11 (2015), pp. 309–319.
T.T.M. Le, A case study of students’ views on effective online learning, AsiaCALL Online J. 12 (2021), pp. 24–33.
D.M. Pearlman and N.A. Gates, Hosting Business Meetings and Special Events in Virtual Worlds: A Fad or the Future?, J. Conv. Event Tour. 11 (2010), pp. 247–265.
Virtual Reality is a big trend in museums, but what are the best examples of museums using VR?. Available at https://www.museumnext.com/article/how-museums-are-using-virtual-reality/.
N. Zhang, R. Ren, Q. Zhang and T. Zhang, Air pollution and tourism development: An interplay, Ann. Tour. Res. 85 (2020), pp. 103032.
J.M. Ho and J.K.M. Sia, Embracing an uncertain future: COVID-19 and MICE in Malaysia, Local Dev. Soc. 1 (2020), pp. 190–204.
H. Seraphin, COVID-19: an opportunity to review existing grounded theories in event studies, J. Conv. Event Tour. 22 (2021), pp. 3–35.
Z. Kristóf, International Trends of Remote Teaching Ordered in Light of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its Most Popular Video Conferencing Applications that Implement Communication, Cent. Eur. J. Educ. Res. 2 (2020), pp. 84–92.
S. Sarabipour, Virtual conferences raise standards for accessibility and interactions, Elife 9 (2020), .
S. Cranford, Zoom Fatigue, Hyperfocus, and Entropy of Thought, Matter 3 (2020), pp. 587–589.
L. Fosslien and M.W. Duffy, How to combat zoom fatigue, Harv. Bus. Rev. 29 (2020), pp. 1–6.
B.K. Wiederhold, Connecting Through Technology During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: Avoiding “Zoom Fatigue,” Cyberpsychology, Behav. Soc. Netw. 23 (2020), pp. 437–438.
E. Peper, V. Wilson, M. Martin, E. Rosegard and R. Harvey, Avoid Zoom Fatigue, Be Present and Learn, NeuroRegulation 8 (2021), pp. 47–56.
M.G. Moore and G. Kearsley, Distance Education: A Systems View of Online Learning (What’s New in Education), Cengage Learning, 2011.
H. Kharouf, R. Biscaia, A. Garcia-Perez and E. Hickman, Understanding online event experience: The importance of communication, engagement and interaction, J. Bus. Res. 121 (2020), pp. 735–746.
A. Ramely, L.K. Chiu, M.F.A. Talib and A. Ramely, Virtual is Vital: The Strategies, Design, and Attendee Engagement of Virtual Events, Asia-Pacific J. Innov. Hosp. Tour. 10 (2021), pp. 463–477.
E. Marchiori, E. Niforatos and L. Preto, Measuring the Media Effects of a Tourism-Related Virtual Reality Experience Using Biophysical Data, in Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2017, Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2017, pp. 203–215.
N. Khaleque and G. Krasteva, Experience Technology. How the Creative Industries Help Increase the Audience Engagement at Virtual and Hybrid Events, in ExCITe-serien, Aalborg University Press, 2021, .
B.M. Newman and P.R. Newman, Theories of Adolescent Development, Academic Press, 2020.
J. Sargeant, V. Curran, S. Jarvis-Selinger, S. Ferrier, M. Allen, F. Kirby et al., Interactive on-line continuing medical education: Physicians’ perceptions and experiences, J. Contin. Educ. Health Prof. 24 (2004), pp. 227–236.
V. Kaptelinin, K. Danielsson, N. Kaiser, C. Kuenen and M. Nordin, Understanding the Interpersonal Space of Online Meetings: An Exploratory Study of “We-ness,” in Companion Publication of the 2021 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, 2021, pp. 79–83.
I. Molnar-Szakacs, L.Q. Uddin and M.B. Heffernan, The face behind the mask: The future of interpersonal interaction, Neuron 109 (2021), pp. 1918–1920.
M.B. Holbrook and E.C. Hirschman, The Experiential Aspects of Consumption: Consumer Fantasies, Feelings, and Fun, J. Consum. Res. 9 (1982), pp. 132.
G. Berridge, Events Design and Experience, Routledge, 2007.
D. Leighton, ‘Step back in time and live the legend’: experiential marketing and the heritage sector, Int. J. Nonprofit Volunt. Sect. Mark. 12 (2007), pp. 117–125.
M. Morgan, What makes a Good Festival? Understanding the Event Experience, Event Manag. 12 (2008), pp. 81–93.
J.H. Falk and L.D. Dierking, The Museum Experience Revisited, Routledge, 2016.
S. De Geus, G. Richards and V. Toepoel, Conceptualisation and Operationalisation of Event and Festival Experiences: Creation of an Event Experience Scale, Scand. J. Hosp. Tour. 16 (2016), pp. 274–296.
R. Pettersson and D. Getz, Event Experiences in Time and Space: A Study of Visitors to the 2007 World Alpine Ski Championships in Åre, Sweden, Scand. J. Hosp. Tour. 9 (2009), pp. 308–326.
M. Robertson, D. Chambers and E. Frew, Events and festivals: Current trends and issues, Manag. Leis. 12 (2007), pp. 99–101.
C. de Rojas and C. Camarero, Visitors’ experience, mood and satisfaction in a heritage context: Evidence from an interpretation center, Tour. Manag. 29 (2008), pp. 525–537.
S.S. Sundar, The MAIN Model: A Heuristic Approach to Understanding Technology Effects on Credibility, in Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility, The MIT Press, Cambridge, 2008, pp. 73–100.
E.G. Murray, D.L. Neumann, R.L. Moffitt and P.R. Thomas, The effects of the presence of others during a rowing exercise in a virtual reality environment, Psychol. Sport Exerc. 22 (2016), pp. 328–336.
C.-S. Wan, S.-H. Tsaur, Y.-L. Chiu and W.-B. Chiou, Is the Advertising Effect of Virtual Experience Always Better or Contingent on Different Travel Destinations?, Inf. Technol. Tour. 9 (2007), pp. 45–54.
K. Malek, S. Tanford and S. Baloglu, Evaluating Event Effectiveness Across Alternate Platforms, Event Manag. 22 (2018), pp. 135–151.
The Effects of Virtual Events on Affection and Connection. Southern Utah University, 2020.
H. Maylor, K. Blackmon and M. Huemann, Researching Business and Management, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2016.
P. Gill, K. Stewart, E. Treasure and B. Chadwick, Methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews and focus groups, Br. Dent. J. 204 (2008), pp. 291–295.
R. Oliver and J. Herrington, Exploring Technology-Mediated Learning from a Pedagogical Perspective, Interact. Learn. Environ. 11 (2003), pp. 111–126.
I. Rihova, D. Buhalis, M. Moital and M. Beth Gouthro, Social layers of customer-to-customer value co-creation, J. Serv. Manag. 24 (2013), pp. 553–566.
J. Goldblatt, Special Events: A New Generation and the next Frontier, Vol. 13, John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
M. Matulin, Š. Mrvelj, B. Abramović, T. Šoštarić and M. Čejvan, User quality of experience comparison between Skype, Microsoft teams and zoom videoconferencing tools, in International Conference on Future Access Enablers of Ubiquitous and Intelligent Infrastructures, 2021, pp. 299–307.
A. Gallace and C. Spence, In Touch with the Future: The Sense of Touch from Cognitive Neuroscience to Virtual Reality, Oxford University Press, 2014.
J.W. Schouten and J.H. McAlexander, Subcultures of Consumption: An Ethnography of the New Bikers, J. Consum. Res. 22 (1995), pp. 43.
G. Wai-man Ip, C. Chiu and C. Wan, Birds of a feather and birds flocking together: Physical versus behavioral cues may lead to trait- versus goal-based group perception., J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 90 (2006), pp. 368–381.
A. Marwick, I’m More Than Just a Friendster Profile: Identity, Authenticity and Power in Social Networking Services, Assoc. Internet Res. 6 (2005), pp. 5–9.
How To Share Avatar On Facebook In Comments, Messenger, As Stickers; Details Inside. Available at https://www.republicworld.com/technology-news/apps/how-to-share-avatar-on-facebook-share-your-avatar-on-facebook-post.html.
S.F. Smith, If It Looks Like Tupac, Walks Like Tupac, and Raps Like Tupac, It’s Probably Tupac: Virtual Cloning and Postmortem Right-of-Publicity Implications, Mich. St. L. Rev. (2013), pp. 1719.
A. Hahn and K. Klein, Beyond the Screen: Hatsune Miku in the Context of Post-Digital Culture, in Education in the Age of the Screen: Possibilities and Transformations in Technology, N. Vansieleghem, J. Vlieghe and M. Zahn, eds., Routledge, London, 2019, pp. 68–79.
A.S.M.M. Rahman and A. El Saddik, HKiss: Real world based haptic interaction with virtual 3D avatars, in 2011 IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo, 2011, pp. 1–6.
A.M. Lomanowska and M.J. Guitton, Online intimacy and well-being in the digital age, Internet Interv. 4 (2016), pp. 138–144.
K.A. Graham, S.B. Dust and J.C. Ziegert, Supervisor-employee power distance incompatibility, gender similarity, and relationship conflict: A test of interpersonal interaction theory., J. Appl. Psychol. 103 (2018), pp. 334–346.
S.S. Jaggars and D. Xu, How do online course design features influence student performance?, Comput. Educ. 95 (2016), pp. 270–284.
G. Thomas and S. Thorpe, Enhancing the facilitation of online groups in higher education: a review of the literature on face-to-face and online group-facilitation, Interact. Learn. Environ. 27 (2019), pp. 62–71.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Han Nu Ngoc Ton, Quynh Hai Xuan Do
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) for both the print and online format and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.
