What's it really like attending a virtual event?

I haven’t attended a blogging event in quite a while (it actually turns out that having a baby gets in the way of a lot of things) however I was recently able to attend a virtual event, hosted by House 21. Being in the midst of the pandemic, things are certainly a little different now. But what's it really like attending a virtual event? Here's how I found my experience.

Who are House 21?

I was introduced to the community builders & event organisers by Lucy Mary, a fellow House 21 contributor. They've been on my radar since they held their blogging awards in December, however seeing as though the majority of events were being held in Cardiff and Birmingham, it’s never something I thought I'd be able to attend.

Why the event was virtual.

Here’s where lockdown has played its trump card!

House 21 hasn’t let coronavirous stop them. Instead of hosting monthly meet-ups, they’re utilising technology and hosting their workshops online. Like normal events they’re held on the same days, at the same times. However instead of being location specific, they’re topic specific... Which for me is absolutely ideal.

The House 21 virtual event.

House 21 have a wide array of events coming up. The one I chose to attend however was ‘overcoming the Instagram algorithm’… Because Lord knows I (alongside many others) have a love hate relationship with the social media app.

The event is held in an online chat room sent to us via email the previous day. We ‘knock’ to be let in & once there I could see the faces & blog names of 15 lovely ladies. Being a chat room there was video and microphone functions as well as a chat box which enabled us to join in with conversations & hear from guest speakers.

The features enabled us to interact pretty much the same as we would at a normal event.

We had introductions and chit chats to begin with from House 21’s host Melanie, who later introduced us to the events specific guest host Chelsea O’Driscoll. Chelsea is a social media marketing manager and creative consultant. This made her the perfect host for an event centred around kicking the Instagram algorithms butt!

I think I was a newbie at the event, as Chelsea mentioned that it was nice to see new faces as well as regular attendees; But in no way was I made to feel like a newbie. Chelsea was chatty, charismatic & packed full of positivity, which in todays climate is an absolute godsend!

She explained exactly how the session was going to be ran, which was with a 30 minute presentation from herself and fellow Instagram algorithm butt kicker Christy Llewelyn followed by a live question and answer session to finish.

Benefits of attending a virtual event.

We were advised to ask questions during the presentation using the chat box, which I felt much more comfortable doing. Sometimes at IRL blogging events I can feel quite overwhelmed and revert back to being the shy girl I was at school. It’s something which I hate for holding me back, but admittedly it only happens when I’m in a large group of people. If I’m attending a large scale blogging event my mind can sometimes get the better of me and not want to ask the questions I’m burning to ask. Having the chat box feature gets a massive thumbs up from me.

I actually felt more comfortable being in the comfort of my own home. I'd much rather be dressed in loungewear with a cup of tea in hand!

The future of virtual events.

I enjoyed the virtual blogging event so much, that I’ve signed up for another in a weeks time. The event is again Instagram based & will be held by Northern Blogs & Co with 3 guest speakers including one of my faves Hannah Briggs.

Have you been involved in any virtual blogging events during lockdown?


Claire.X