A virtual event involves interacting people sharing a common virtual environment on the web, rather than meeting in a physical location. Virtual events are highly interactive, looking and feeling a lot like their physical counterparts. “iVirtual event” can also refer to aspects of an event that are brought to users through an online experience. This can range from live-streaming the event, to creating on-demand video content for users to view after the conclusion of the event.

Virtual events started to become increasingly popular as they offered an economically and environmentally effective way to bring thousands of attendees to an event from around the globe. Virtual environments are becoming an increasingly important part of the marketing mix. For marketers, virtual events can provide a rich source of marketing data, because the activities of each participant can be tracked and evaluated. A virtual engagement index is a variable to measure interaction quantity and quality of participants. This is a very useful tool for sales people who would then know the quality of the lead they are pursuing, however not all providers offer this feature yet.