Managing user engagement in Virtual event platforms.

Abstract

Virtual platforms are considered as an innovative solution, and sometime a disruptive innovation, helping various industries to operate and interact with stakeholders and institutes to educate and inform users. Virtual conference and events have been on the rise and proved to be an effective solution in this unprecedent era. However, how the virtual event was received by users needs to be explored. Applying classical theories of user engagement, this paper aims to understand what has affected participant's level of engagement and attitude towards Virtual conferences over the last 18 months. A sample of 70 participants were recruited and two groups of antecedents of service provider and participants and their relationships with engagement and participants attitude is examined. Data analysis indicated that perceived conference informativeness and perceived service quality indicate 74% and 69% of the total variation in user engagement respectively and 82% and 77% of the total variation in participant's attitude towards virtual conferencing. This is a great insight and in contradiction to factors impacting engagement in a non-virtual environment.