Future Of Virtual Events In India

Virtual events swept the world in 2020. In 2021, the vaccine roll-out let organisers experiment with hybrid events and realise their dynamic benefits.

2022 was meant to be the year organisers truly had the freedom to choose how they hosted their events. But emerging variants have made this impossible. The circumstances at hand make us wonder if virtual events will still be a crucial component of every event in 2022.

Time is one of the constraints on everyone in the fast-paced world of today. When it comes to exercising to keep healthy, technology has correctly met people's need to only do duties that can be altered to match their schedules. People may easily and quickly access everything connected to fitness and more with just one click. It provides people with an advantage over the competition, boosts self-confidence, and makes them believe that they are already performing better than others. Additionally, fitness bands, trackers, rings, and other wearables in that situation all offer a fashionable element that is fashionable at the moment.

The fitness sector has often been on the verge of a breakthrough or fad, whether it is goat yoga, soul cycle, or HIIT. Innovative interactive solutions flooded the market as consumers began to place more emphasis on maintaining their health over time, propelling the Indian fitness sector into a stable growth rate of roughly 27% yearly. The old fitness sector was in a panic as it struggled to quickly adjust to its present situation after 2020 arrived and we were slammed with the pandemic, or the new normal. However, adaptability has always been a defining characteristic of this industry, and nearly overnight independent and multinational businesses began to swiftly use digital platforms to go virtual.

The Initial Foray into Virtual Reality

Customers have access to every imaginable fitness option, including Zoom, YouTube, individual sessions, and group courses. Nevertheless, engagement became the newest trendy phrase as continuity was taken care of. It wasn't sufficient to merely observe someone working out alongside you; you needed to be constantly encouraged and prodded to stick to your resolve to become more fit. The potential this offered for startups and smaller businesses to take advantage of this need and develop a facility that would propel the fitness sector into the twenty-first century was enormous. The "New-age Fitness Era," as it is now known, is characterised by apps and the convenience they offer, which enable you to exercise holistically in the ease of your living room or another location of your choice. Users may obtain individualised training, celebrity trainers, dietary guidance, monitoring, and progress reports with only a single tap. The demand for everywhere, anytime fitness led to a 15% rise in in-app user engagement at the start of the lockdown, not just limited to high-intensity exercises but also simple physical activities like walking and jogging.

The convenience that technology currently provides seems to have strengthened the majority of people's fitness commitments, whereas back in the day brick-and-mortar businesses would see a constant increase in memberships during what I like to call the "New Year Resolution" rush. The shutdown saw an astounding 56 per cent of Indians exercising frequently because of internet training and the availability of fitness applications. Apps have begun to advance things by including social interactions and even games to meet this clear desire and aid users in keeping their commitment.

What should we do next—is it time to step it up?

Virtual fitness' quick rise to fame appears to have sparked the development of more radical ideas including improved gamification, augmented reality, and more immersive experiences. The latter may very well represent the direction of fitness in the future, with even gaming firms offering technology that can be customised to meet your specific fitness requirements. But it hasn't happened yet. This is particularly true if we assume that the fitness business will eventually incorporate virtual fitness on a huge scale.

For the time being, a hybrid approach to our exercise routines may be in the works, mixing virtual training with in-person training, in either an outdoor or indoor location, solo or a controlled group. If and when we do return to some semblance of the lifestyles that we lived before the lockdown. The ability to measure progress and establish goals is the primary emphasis of applications and software, though. Following a celebrity trainer's workout or taking a daily 30-minute walk is one thing, but consumers like being able to see their advancement in real-time. Users become committed to their fitness journey when their virtual fitness partner congratulates them on each success and helps them reach their goals. Users will constantly seek variety, thus more cooperation between offline businesses and online partners may also be on the horizon. These partnerships will have a noticeable increase in clientele, which may be advantageous for engagement and acquisition on both sides of the block while offering the end user the flexibility to change things up.

FaceTime can't replace face-to-face interaction, but virtual exercise has many benefits. Technology has transformed the fitness sector, and it's safe to assume that it's here to stay. This includes time and space flexibility, accessibility, and cutting-edge technologies.

Mayank Gupta, Co- founder of HDOR Virtual Events