589 -Virtual events are just as effective as in-person events.

According to John Pinedo, Founder, Freedom Bound Business, "In-person networking events were a great source of client acquisition for us. Zoom networking events are just not the same for obvious reasons. Prospects, local business owners, simply prefer face-to-face interactions."

What are the obvious reasons?

People throw generalized statements like that out as if they are factual but not everyone agrees.

My opinion is that there are no major drawbacks to online networking events.

Virtual events can be as impactful as in-person events.

There are pros and cons to both types of networking.

A few Pros of In-Person events:

- meeting with individuals live.

- shaking hands with people you don't often see

- Some will say, gathering business cards, but very few people ever put the cards to use.

Cons of In-Person Networking:

- It takes extra time to go to live events, often during rush hours.

- they sometimes incur costs for food and drinks.

- In-Person events can be loud and unorganized.

Pros for Virtual Networking:

- there's no travel time

- you don't have drive time, parking issues, or have to pay for food and drinks

- you get in front of the entire room

- you can privately chat with people to get connected right then.

- gathering information is recorded online so you don't need business cards.

Cons of Virtual Events:

- it's difficult to hang out before or after the meeting unless the organizer provides breakout rooms.

- you can run into technical issues

- the social aspect of mingling is missing during the event.

I find it best not to discredit one over the other.

Everyone will find what works best for them. The best thing to do is find out what your target audience prefers and follow them.

I'm an ambassador of my local Chamber of Commerce so I love live networking events.

But, thanks to Zoom, and Covid, my client base has grown from 7 states to 23 states.

Anyone who believes that In-Person events are better has forgotten one thing.

No one has ever contracted a contagious disease while attending a virtual event.

Both types of events are here to stay.

Embrace the ones that work for you and we will all thrive.

What type of events do you most frequently attend?