Virtual22
Since March of 2020, a quarter of the world’s population entered quarantine, with millions working from home. Companies like Slack and Zoom saw enormous surges in demand. As a result, two million offices joined in just nine days, and since then, millions more have joined. It appears that this trend will continue in the future, with more consistent users. This comes as more and more companies shift their online work environments as permanent options, saving money on office rent and space. Beyond the 9-5 workday, moving virtual (which is nothing new for most in specific industries like tech) remote/hybrid events are likely to remain prominent well into 2022.
This comes primarily due to the Omicron variant of COVID and a broader shift in which “online” has become the new normal. Over time, people’s minds have lost the sense of “virtual” being odd or deviating from the norm. In fact, according to a recent survey conducted by Splash, an event marketing technology company, many companies still expect to host hybrid events this year. Despite this shift having over a year to take place, challenges persist. Expanding on Splash’s survey, Companies have reported attendance for virtual events as a significant challenge in 2021, with 48% of companies surveyed placing it as the number one issue. And even for those who do attend company events, virtual event fatigue has become a common issue, with 47% of companies citing it as their most significant challenge for the year.
What do you think about the continued shift to a virtual world? Do you think it has become the norm going forward? Or will in-person meetings slowly return to their former popularity?
I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.