Our virtual conference in March 2024 had 47 registrations. The same event format in 2021 had 1,200.
We'd sent the same promotional emails. Used the same landing pages. Offered the same content. But people were done with virtual events. The pandemic Zoom fatigue had settled into permanent virtual event aversion.
My VP asked: "Should we kill the virtual event program?"
I said no. Not because I was confident we could fix it—but because I'd seen competitors still running successful virtual events. They were doing something different.
Six months later, we ran a virtual event with 340 registrations, 48% attendance, and $180K in pipeline. We didn't change the channel. We changed the format to match what people actually wanted in 2024.
Here's what I learned about virtual events in a world where nobody wants another Zoom call.
Why The 2020 Virtual Event Playbook Died
In 2020-2021, everyone ran virtual events the same way:
- Multi-day virtual conferences
- 8-10 sessions per day
- Keynotes, panels, breakout sessions
- Virtual booths and networking
- On-demand content library
- Registration was free or very cheap
Why this worked then: People were stuck at home. Virtual events were the only option. The novelty hadn't worn off yet.
Why this fails now: People are back at in-person events. Virtual event fatigue is real. The bar for "worth my time" is much higher.
Our March 2024 event followed the old playbook: two-day virtual conference, 12 sessions, virtual expo hall, networking rooms. People registered out of habit and didn't show up.
Attendance rate: 12%. Pipeline generated: $8K.
The format that worked in lockdown doesn't work when people have options again.
What Changed in 2024: The Three Shifts
Shift 1: Shorter is better than comprehensive
2020 format: Multi-day events with dozens of sessions 2024 reality: Single 60-minute tactical sessions win
People don't have patience for day-long virtual conferences anymore. They want focused, tactical content they can consume in one sitting.
Our best-performing virtual event in 2024: 45-minute demo session. One topic. Specific outcome promised. In and out.
Registration: 340. Attendance: 48%. Pipeline: $180K.
Our worst-performing event: Two-day virtual summit with 15 sessions. Registration: 89. Attendance: 11%. Pipeline: $12K.
Shift 2: Live beats on-demand
2020 format: Record everything, offer it on-demand 2024 reality: Live urgency drives attendance
When everything is available on-demand, nothing feels urgent. People register planning to "watch later" and never do.
We tested this: Same webinar content, two formats.
Format A: Live only, recording available for 48 hours
- Registration: 280
- Live attendance: 42%
- Watched recording: 18%
Format B: Live + permanently available on-demand
- Registration: 310
- Live attendance: 19%
- Watched on-demand: 8%
The permanent on-demand option killed live attendance and on-demand viewing. When there's no urgency, people don't prioritize it.
Shift 3: Value density matters more than breadth
2020 format: Lots of content, something for everyone 2024 reality: One thing done exceptionally well
People won't sit through 10 mediocre sessions hoping to find one good one. They want one session that's so valuable they'd pay for it.
We stopped trying to appeal to everyone and started creating highly specific content for narrow audiences:
- "For SaaS CFOs: Building a Churn Prediction Model"
- "For Product Managers: Competitive Feature Analysis Framework"
- "For Sales Leaders: Win/Loss Interview Program in 30 Days"
Narrow targeting, high value density. Registration went down (fewer people fit the narrow profile) but attendance and conversion went up dramatically.
The Virtual Event Formats That Actually Work in 2024
After testing a dozen formats, three consistently drive attendance and pipeline:
Format 1: The Tactical Workshop (45-60 minutes)
Structure:
- Problem statement (5 min): "You're trying to do X, current approach is broken"
- Live solution build (30 min): "Here's how to build Y from scratch"
- Implementation guidance (10 min): "How to customize this for your use case"
- Q&A (10 min)
Why it works: People walk away with something they can use today. It's not theoretical—it's practical.
Example: "Build a Win/Loss Analysis Dashboard in 45 Minutes"
- Showed exactly how to set up tracking
- Shared templates
- Walked through real analysis
- Attendees could replicate it immediately
Registration: 240. Attendance: 52%. Demo requests: 18.
Format 2: The Competitive Deep Dive (60 minutes)
Structure:
- Competitive landscape overview (10 min)
- Head-to-head product comparison (30 min): Live demos side-by-side
- When to choose each option (10 min): Honest assessment
- Q&A (10 min)
Why it works: Prospects are researching anyway. Give them the comparison they want instead of making them hunt for it.
Example: "[Our Product] vs [Top Competitor]: Honest Head-to-Head Comparison"
- Ran both products live
- Showed strengths and weaknesses of each
- Explained ideal use cases for each
- Didn't claim we're better at everything
Registration: 310. Attendance: 39%. Pipeline: $220K.
Controversial take: Showing competitor's product at our event felt risky. But prospects trusted us more because we were honest about trade-offs.
Format 3: The Customer Showcase (45 minutes)
Structure:
- Customer introduction and challenge (10 min)
- How they solved it (20 min): Customer presents their approach
- Results and lessons (10 min)
- Q&A with customer (15 min)
Why it works: People trust customers more than vendors. Let customers do the selling.
Example: "How [Well-Known Company] Reduced Churn 40% in 6 Months"
- Customer walked through their process
- Showed actual results
- Answered questions from prospects
- We barely talked—customer did all the heavy lifting
Registration: 180. Attendance: 44%. Pipeline: $140K.
The key: The customer was the star. We were facilitators.
The Promotion Strategy That Drives Registration
The old playbook was: Blast email list, post on LinkedIn, hope for registrations.
That doesn't work anymore. Inboxes are overwhelmed. People ignore generic event invites.
What works now:
Targeted outreach to narrow audiences
Instead of promoting to our entire database (28,000 people), we promote to a specific segment (400 people who match exact criteria).
Example: Workshop on competitive analysis
- Audience: Product marketers at B2B SaaS companies with 50-500 employees
- Database size: 420 people
- Promotion: 3 targeted emails + LinkedIn messages from our PMM team
- Registration rate: 38% (160 registrations from 420 targets)
Compare to broad promotion:
- Audience: Anyone in our database
- Database size: 28,000 people
- Promotion: Same email volume
- Registration rate: 0.7% (196 registrations from 28,000)
Same number of registrations. One approach builds a highly engaged audience. The other builds random registrations who don't attend.
Partner co-promotion for credibility
People trust events less when they're vendor-run.
We started partnering with complementary (non-competitive) vendors:
"Join [Our Company] and [Partner Company] for: [Topic]"
Partner promotes to their audience. We promote to ours. Both audiences trust it more because it's not just vendor pitch.
Result: 2.3x registration rate vs. solo events.
The Tech Stack That Doesn't Overwhelm
In 2020-2021, companies spent $50K-$100K on fancy virtual event platforms with 3D expo halls and networking lounges.
In 2024, most of that is abandoned. People don't want to navigate complex platforms.
Our stack:
- Zoom: For the actual event (people know how to use it, it works)
- Landing page: Simple registration form (name, email, company, role, specific challenge they want to solve)
- Email platform: Promotion and reminders
- Segment8 (where relevant): Track which attendees are in active deals, flag for sales follow-up
That's it. Total cost: Included in tools we already pay for.
The fancy platforms were solving for 2020 problems (replicating in-person expo halls). We don't need to replicate in-person. We need to deliver value in the format that makes sense virtually.
The Follow-Up That Converts Attendees
Most virtual event follow-up is terrible:
"Thanks for attending! Here's the recording."
That's a missed opportunity.
Our follow-up system:
Within 2 hours:
- Recording link
- Resources mentioned during session
- One-question survey: "What's your biggest challenge implementing this?"
Within 24 hours (for engaged attendees who asked questions):
- Sales rep reaches out: "I saw you asked about [specific question]. Want 15 minutes tomorrow to walk through how [Company] addresses that specifically for your use case?"
Conversion rate on immediate follow-up: 42% book a call
Within 7 days (for attendees who didn't engage live):
- Case study showing someone who implemented what we taught
- Invitation to office hours: "Need help implementing? Book 20 minutes with our team."
Conversion rate on 7-day follow-up: 12% book a call
The key: Personalized follow-up based on engagement level. Hot leads get immediate outreach. Warm leads get nurture.
The Hybrid Model That Actually Works
"Hybrid events" in 2021 meant: Run an in-person event and also stream it virtually.
This failed because:
- Virtual attendees felt like second-class participants
- Production was complex and expensive
- Neither in-person nor virtual experience was optimized
The hybrid model that works in 2024:
Separate but connected experiences designed for each format.
In-person component:
- 200-person conference with workshops, networking, demos
- Focus on hands-on experiences that don't translate virtually
- Record keynotes only (not workshops)
Virtual component:
- Week after in-person: Virtual session featuring highlights and keynote recordings
- New content specifically created for virtual audience
- Access to speakers for Q&A
- Different registration, different experience, different goals
This works because:
- Each format is optimized for its medium
- Virtual isn't trying to replicate in-person
- Virtual extends reach without compromising in-person experience
Results:
- In-person: 200 attendees, $420K pipeline
- Virtual (the following week): 380 attendees, $180K pipeline
- Combined reach: 580 people
- Combined pipeline: $600K
Better than trying to do one "hybrid" event poorly.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Virtual Events
Most companies still running 2020-style virtual events are in denial about how much the world has changed.
Multi-day virtual conferences don't work anymore. People won't sit through eight hours of Zoom sessions. Virtual expo halls are ghost towns. Networking rooms are empty.
The hard truth: Virtual events are now a tactical channel for delivering focused, high-value content—not a replacement for in-person events.
They work when:
- Content is specific and immediately actionable
- Duration is short (45-60 minutes)
- Audience is narrow and well-targeted
- Value density is extremely high
- Follow-up is fast and personalized
They fail when:
- You're trying to replicate in-person conferences virtually
- Content is broad and generic
- Events are multi-day marathons
- You're targeting everyone instead of someone specific
- Follow-up is generic "thanks for attending"
What doesn't work in 2024:
- Multi-day virtual conferences with dozens of sessions
- Virtual expo halls and networking platforms
- On-demand content libraries people "plan to watch later"
- Broad audience targeting hoping for volume
- Generic "here's the recording" follow-up
What works in 2024:
- Single-session tactical workshops (45-60 minutes)
- Live-only with limited replay window to create urgency
- Narrow audience targeting (400 perfect fits > 4,000 random registrations)
- Highly specific, actionable content
- Immediate personalized follow-up to engaged attendees
The best virtual event programs:
- Run monthly tactical workshops, not quarterly conferences
- Target narrow audiences with specific problems
- Promise one specific outcome per session
- Create urgency through live-only format
- Follow up within 24 hours with personalized outreach
Virtual events aren't dead. The 2020 virtual event playbook is dead.
If your virtual events still look like they did in 2021, registration and attendance will keep declining.
Shorten the format. Narrow the audience. Increase value density. Create urgency. Follow up fast.
Or watch your virtual event program slowly die while you wonder why people stopped showing up.