The debate on virtual vs in-person events is a colossal waste of time for all those involved: There is nothing like face-to-face. And it’s true virtual events can be very boring. Guess what? So can be face-to-face events. // I recently attended an in-person event that was awfully planned, with average content and self-absorbed speakers. That made me even more upset because I had to travel and spend time away from family. The problem is with the design, not with the tool. // Virtual events save money. They do, but they can be incredibly ineffective at delivering on the objectives. Getting people to travel, engage in-person, and abandon distraction comes at a cost, but it can deliver better engagement with good design. Showing up in-person means commitment and attention. And that’s valuable. Spending less for no outcome is still burning money. In-person is better to close business. As a business, I have sponsored many trade shows with zero ROI. Same with virtual events. There is no superiority of the tool, there is only good and bad design. // Let’s go F2F! No, let’s go virtual. Taking sides in this fake battle is like choosing email over direct mail. Maybe for your audience direct mail is the way to go, they are so disengaged by emails that it just makes sense. Great, good for you. It may well be that your event delivers better when online. Awesome. Forcing planners to take sides is to deny the number one rule of planning events: every audience is different. Choose the best tools to engage YOUR audience. // Wait I have a solution: Hybrid. Not really. Synchronous hybrid can be a great solution for some events but again it feels like someone is trying to force the use of a tool at all costs. Some events are better in-person, some online, some hybrid. Planners deserve the freedom to chose what’s best. Make no mistake, in-person events deserve the sustainable, inclusive, cost cutting benefits of virtual. Virtual events require the five senses, immersive and engaging freshness of in-person. // So what’s the solution? Be open to use all the tools to engage your audience and to serve them to the best of your ability. Do not corner yourself into silos, embrace the creative tools you have available to design events that change behaviors. We need more creativity, not sterile polarizations.