the new rules of virtual t HOW AI IS ENHANCING VIRTUAL MEETINGS While still evolving, AI tools are also helping event planners deliver better online experiences. Valuable applications include: Summaries and translation: Maisels says AI’s ability to generate quick and “really well laid out summaries of the sessions,” plus content translations, is helpful for planners and audiences alike. Analytics: Wagner says AI’s powerful meeting analytics deliver helpful insights—“At 1:04 p.m. a majority of your people dropped off”—that can improve future meetings. Adaptive engagement tools: Planners can also gather attendee feedback on the fly (via polls for example), then quickly tweak elements, like breakout topics, accordingly, says Wagner. BY THE NUMBERS The virtual events market (online events, virtual conferences and live-streamed experiences) reached $235.4 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow to $530.63 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate of 22.5%. 60% of associations expect hybrid and virtual to continue being a major part of their events 39% of meeting professionals say hosting more virtual meetings is their top strategy for managing economic uncertainty 68% of event pros include hybrid and virtual meetings in their events programs Sources: Amex GBT 2026, Statista, The Business Research Company t WHERE VIRTUAL SHINES (and not so much) Virtual is proving well-suited to: Training, education and product demos: Wagner says virtual is “easy, scalable, repeatable, cost-efficient. So it’s ‘produce and then repeat,’ whether that’s new hires or new products.” Town halls, leadership updates: Wagner also produces a lot of virtual town halls and leadership updates where “an organization can’t get 2,000 or 10,000 or 100,000 people in one room. That’s definitely the biggest [application].” Hybrid extensions: Maisels says virtual complements in-person events where attendees are “unable to travel, or don’t have budget to attend the in-person experience but still want to tap into the content and community.” On the flipside, challenges remain with: Networking and relationship building: “It’s very hard to do that on virtual, obviously,” Maisels says. “The chat feature is great, but when you have a lot of people on there and it’s populating a ton of times, unless you have breakouts, that piece can be difficult.” Tactile experiences: These are hard to replicate, says Wagner. “A new launch of a car for one of our automotive clients. Even though it looks great on screen, they always want to be able to come and touch it, right?” t PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER To be successful today, industry experts say virtual experiences require intentionality, effort and resources, and single out a few special strategies: Well-structured content: With hybrid, Byrne advises looking at on-site agendas critically and being selective for virtual: “That keynote, that special announcement or that conversation, fireside chat with a really cool guest, that’s what people are really there for.” Practically, Maisels says the focus should be on “varying up the content format, so not just having a talking head, or doing a 45- to 60-minute presentation with no engagement, no interactivity, no humour.” She suggests shorter content blocks, mixing between speakers and video and engaging audiences with interactive elements like polls and Q and As. “A variety of approaches to the content helps keep people’s attention.” And don’t forget to create some breathing room for coffee breaks. High-quality production: From multi-camera setups, to professional lighting and graphics, to show callers, Wagner says expectations are higher than ever with virtual meetings. If companies don’t go to the next level, “It’s pretty obvious for users.” Alongside, he advises training presenters to be camera aware. Bonus content: Finally, Byrne is “a big fan of giving the virtual or the remote attendees something that potentially the people in the room don’t get access to.” Whether behind-the-scenes content or an exclusive chat with a keynote speaker, Byrne says the goal is having online attendees who leave saying, “I’m so glad I went to that!” 24 | Ignitemag.ca | Fall 2026
