Two weeks ago, the PerconaLive open source database conference was held online for the second time since COVID shut everything down. You can learn more about my impression as a presenter in another post.

This event wasn’t the only industry event that has been disrupted by COVID.

This post is some of my thoughts on the future of industry events like PerconaLive.

Industry events go remote

Industry events are one of the best ways to learn of the state of your industry by listening to other practitioners share their knowledge.

They are also a great way to network and meet people. Depending on the event, you can form some important relationships with people from around the world.

Unfortunately that ground to a halt last year and still is halted in many ways.

The companies that put on these events didn’t let COVID stop them for long though. Leveraging technology and new products, they moved their events online.

While this has been a good stop-gap solution, I wonder if this continues as things begin to open up.

Drawbacks of remote industry events

Like anything there are drawbacks to remote events.

For speakers, you are probably having to record your presentation rather than giving it live. This can leave you feeling like you didn’t connect with your audience.

And for all attendees, you lose the in-person aspect and the so-called ‘hallway track’ time. The hallway track is where you meet people in informal conversations that can be the most rewarding.

Missing out on the in-person communication and collaboration is one of the big arguments given by many opponents for remote work, by the way.

Benefits of remote industry events

With those drawbacks, are there any benefits to keeping remote events?

My experience with PerconaLive ONLINE makes me think so.

For one thing, it costs less for attendees. This is especially true if the event organizers make the online event free!

This allows people who normally couldn’t make it to be able to attend.

I think you also get access to a wider pool of speakers because they don’t have to travel around the world for a conference that lasts only a couple of days.

Conclusion

Regardless, there is an opportunity to improve the industry events space.

I don’t think remote events will ever replace in-person events when things get back to ‘normal.

For sure, I know a few people who have decided to stop attending online events for a while.

But just like I hope that the future of work doesn’t return to ‘normal’, I think there is a chance for organizers to incorporate online aspects to their events.

The future of industry events should be flexible and hybrid.

What do you think?