A few years ago, you would have screamed, “That’s bizarre!” at the idea of working in a virtual office or even attending a virtual party with your coworkers. However, the novel Coronavirus has brought a real explosion and a surge in demand for remote communication tools.
With everybody quarantined at home, businesses rushed to source tools to allow employees to transition to remote work and maintain at least core business functions.
Moreover, as new working arrangements were put in place and organisations learned how to leverage remote work technologies, they took a step further and decided to hold business conferences and even virtual parties. But is this brave new world here to stay, or will businesses make a decision to do things “the old way?”
This article delves deeper into the new reality of virtual offices and events, looking at how such experiences will continue to appeal to the organisations, their customers, and employees. In addition, it will explore how you and your business can continue to foster virtual working arrangements and events.
The Benefits of Virtual Events and Remote Work
There are many advantages of hosting virtual events and allowing employees to work from home, stretching beyond the immediate benefits that were realised just at the beginning of the pandemic.
In fact, according to PwC’s research, 83% of organisations claim that the transition to remote work has been exceptionally successful, and it is easy to see why.
People are not only more productive and can strike a better work-life balance, but they also no longer have to commute long distances back and forth from work. Equally, companies can optimise overhead costs, saving money on office space and facilities.
Likewise, virtual conferences can facilitate opportunities to network across the globe, reaching new customers and strengthening the pipeline while overcoming traditional financial and logistical barriers. Similarly, virtual parties can bring together geographically dispersed teams, thereby minimising feelings of isolation.
A Playout of Virtual Offices, Conferences, and Parties in the New Normality
During the height of the pandemic, the advantages of going virtual were evident. But has our behaviour changed so fundamentally that no company, employee, or customer can ever return to the way things were before?
Virtual Offices
Virtual offices were on the rise even before the pandemic, but perhaps corporate executives were not brave enough to implement them widely. Covid-19 gave the initiative a needed push, letting companies realise immediate benefits, such as reduced costs of renting brick-and-mortar office space, increased employee productivity, and access to a global pool of candidates.
However, were businesses successful at replicating the physical office setting? In the beginning, many organisations were experimenting with chat services, Zoom, and various workflow management tools, but they quickly realised that something was missing. We’re talking about water-cooler serendipity conversations here, whether they’re casual or more targeted at consulting a coworker on an urgent matter.
At My G Nation, our interactive office space solves that issue, replicating in-person experiences as realistically as possible. Do you want us to show you around?
Pandemic-Proof Virtual Conferences
Like remote work, virtual conferences have also grown in popularity. They not only lower the carbon footprint linked to travelling but also are more accessible to a diverse audience. There is not perhaps a better way to overcome traditional organisational hurdles than throwing a virtual conference, essentially shifting the way we perceive how such events should look in the future.
From the business perspective, hosting virtual conferences and workshops means scaling is more feasible than in-person events. In fact, companies expect to hold 40% of their events digitally in 2022, so the opportunity is enormous.
However, this new format is often criticised as lacking human interaction while participants miss out on networking opportunities.
The good news is that you no longer have to worry about these issues with the My G Nation solution. Our platform supports a variety of interactive virtual spaces, so attendees can easily jump between them.
Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert – you will not feel out of place. We have an intelligent visual status system, so you can simply activate the “I am not here right now” function whenever you step out for a coffee break.
Likewise, at My G Nation, we believe that your events should not have boundaries. Hosting an international event, marking a table with a specific language or continent group, and having people jump from table to table makes global networking truly possible.
Virtual Parties
Nobody could have expected virtual get-togethers would overtake real-life counterparts in both the participation and the scale. The notion was that no technology could truly mimic face-to-face interactions.
The proponents of virtual reality (VR) were adamant that in-person parties will prevail until the technology goes mainstream. However, digital parties became a reality in a relatively short period of time, so people did not have to miss out on the usual work outings that underpin the modern office culture.
Google searches, such as the virtual office party ideas or how to host a Zoom party, became the new normal, helping to overcome government-imposed social distancing rules. But the novelty wore off, as the popular applications did not offer the same experience as in-person parties.
At My G Nation, we offer a completely interactive virtual party space with chairs, tables, a swimming pool, and even a bar area. Hosting a digital party has never been so realistic, as team members can converse using chat, audio, and video functions.
Final Thoughts
Technological breakthroughs in remote work and digital events have defied our preconceived assumptions of in-person experiences being superior. While the virtual format is unlikely to replace face-to-face work interactions fully, the emerging technological tools can take you as close to the real-life experience as possible.
Planning to revolutionise your remote office or host one of a kind virtual event? At My G Nation, we help remote teams to be as productive and as engaged as in real-life settings. Book a demo or try it out for yourself!
