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The rise of webinars since the start of the pandemic is undeniable. In 2019, just 46% of video marketers used webinars, but by 2020, this rose sharply to 62%. And in 2025, nearly 9 in 10 businesses report using video as a core part of their marketing strategy — underscoring how firmly webinars and video have embedded themselves into modern marketing playbooks.
Businesses that have had to adapt to working from home will be familiar with webinars. Whether they’re hosted on Zoom or specialist platforms, webinars have become a big part of communication strategies. However, we’ve also seen the emergence of virtual events this year, providing businesses and organisations with an alternative to physical events. These offer a solution to otherwise cancelled events, allowing businesses to reimagine their events for the digital space.
As a live streaming agency, we often get asked what the difference is between webinars and virtual events. They both utilise live streaming technology and help you stay connected with your audiences, but they serve different purposes. Webinars are particularly useful for straightforward events which require simple interactivity between the hosts and attendees, such as training and professional development; virtual events can be used to immerse audiences in a digital experience, such as online festivals and conferences.
By now, most of us will be pretty familiar with webinars. Webinars are ‘web-based seminars’ and tend to be simple workshops, lectures or presentations hosted on webinar software. They are simpler in format and much easier to set up, but allow hosts to engage with participants through interactive features such as polls and Q&As. Webinars are a fantastic tool which can add real value to businesses as they allow you to interact directly and in real-time with employees, clients, prospects and partners.
The simple formats of webinars are perfect for internal training, thought leadership seminars, product launches or lead generation. Through your webinar platform, you’ll be able to incorporate slide sharing, videos and other media to make your presentation more engaging. The real benefit of webinars is that they are easy to set up and organise, requiring a lot less planning and production than virtual events. If you’re thinking of hosting a simple one-hour lecture or a series of workshops, webinars are the perfect solution.
The maximum capacity of your webinar will depend on the webinar platform that you choose to use. However, generally, webinars are for smaller audiences. At Bombora, we can host up to 3000 attendees on our webinars, but typically our clients choose to host webinars for a few hundred people. The format of your webinar will also dictate how many attendees you want to invite – workshops are better for intimate audiences, whereas a product demo or thought-leadership series would be suitable for more attendees. To find out more about different webinar formats, you can read our blog post.
Virtual events go beyond the simplified set-up of webinars and aim to create an environment which emulates something closer to a physical event. They have a greater capacity to host more attendees and set up multiple stages at the same time. With the events industry having to reinvent itself during the pandemic, the realm of possibilities for virtual events has really opened up.
Virtual events are hosted on dedicated virtual events platforms, which create a virtual environment for your attendees to interact in. Using a single web-based platform, attendees can navigate through multiple stages, networking areas and sponsor booths. This solution is all located within the web platform, so your attendees won’t have to navigate between multiple windows and tabs. This can help your organisation to mimic a physical event in which attendees can move from room to room easily.
The scope for a virtual event is generally much broader than a webinar. As virtual events platforms allow you to run multiple streams at the same time, you can create a schedule that consists of multiple talks and events running simultaneously. Whereas webinars only use a single stream, a virtual event gives your attendees the chance to choose between different talks. This allows you to host multiple types of talks, workshops, and entertainment sessions at the same time.
Virtual events are ideal for impressing your audiences and engaging with your community on a much deeper level. Whilst webinars serve a much more functional purpose and are great for smaller-scale events and talks, virtual events allow you to create a unique experience for your customers, clients or employees. Worldwide, people are seeking more interactivity and excitement, and virtual events can fill the gap that has been created by the loss of physical events in the last year. Check out our article on ideas for virtual events in our blog post here.
Whether you choose to host a webinar or a virtual event, your decision will depend on what your aims are. If your brand or organisation is looking to deliver information to your audiences with basic audience interaction, webinars are likely to be the better choice. Webinars work extremely well for anything that is predominantly presenter or speaker-led. For sessions that you’ll be running regularly, webinars are ideal as they’re super simple to set up, cost-efficient and easy for your audiences to navigate.
On the other hand, virtual events are much better suited for larger audiences such as conferences, workshops or social events which require a deeper level of interactivity. As virtual events require more planning and production, these are great for occasions where you really want to impress your audience. Whether it’s an employee event to engage and boost morale, or a big partner conference, virtual events are definitely worth the time and effort for large-scale events.
Bombora can help you choose the perfect fit—and deliver it with impact. Whether you’re after a straightforward, interactive webinar or a fully immersive virtual event complete with multi-stream sessions, networking spaces and branded environments, our expert team ensures everything runs seamlessly. From creative planning to high-end production, we help you connect, impress, and engage. Let’s make your next online event unforgettable; get in touch today.