COVID-19 has ground the Live Experiences economy to a halt. However, our timeless need for human connection remains as strong as ever.  

Eventbrite has seen a significant shift in consumer behavior with a 9x increase in searches for “online events” on our platform as people are craving ways to connect. With a 2,000+% year-over-year increase of online events taking place in April 2020 compared to April 2019, Eventbrite is the leading platform for connecting with new experiences globally. 

While shelter in place orders may be enforced around the world, our data proves people’s inherent desire to connect is still strong, and likely to only grow stronger as the weeks of social distancing continue.  

Nearly half of the online events that consumers are attending are health and wellness-related like yoga and meditation classes, or business and professional events, such as seminars and workshops. 

Looking at the year-over-year data (comparing April 2019 to April 19, 2020), health and wellness online events saw a 2,200+% increase. Once dance studios closed, creator Melody Mai who owns Mariposa Dance, pivoted to offer online Zumba classes through Eventbrite’s Zoom integration and has free classes for those facing financial hardship, and donation-based tickets for those who are able to contribute.

Over the same time period, business and professional online events increased 1,100+%. The key to successful online webinars, according to long-time Eventbrite creator Ladies Get Paid, is the right technology and thinking about online events as complementary to in-person ones, rather than as replacements. 

New trending search terms have emerged on our platform including “virtual run,” “quarantine book club,” and “speed dating.” We’ve also witnessed fans reimagine concerts by creating collaborative listening parties online to honor their favorite artists. Most recently, BTS (K-pop boy band) fans held a massive playlist party that lasted a whopping 48 hours.

When we dive deeper into the data, we see that consumers are spending money to learn — about $29 USD per ticket to be exact. The data shows that these consumers are loyal too, with 78% of online event-goers purchasing tickets to multiple events hosted by the same creator.

“Our data is showing a significant rise in demand for online events and it’s been inspiring to see the innovative ways event creators are leveraging our platform,” said Crystal Valentine, chief data strategy officer at Eventbrite. “We’ve watched countless creators engage large audiences and forge a path through this pandemic with online events ranging from cheese tastings, dance parties, and religious gatherings to seminars on artificial intelligence. The trends we’re seeing today with event creators are analogous to when brick and mortar retailers went omnichannel in the early days of e-commerce. We’re in uncharted territory again, but it’s creating a whole new revenue stream for event creators and helping them reach global audiences. We expect online events will continue to play a big role in events post-pandemic.” 

No matter what you’re looking for, there’s an online event that’s just right for you on Eventbrite. Not sure where to start? Check out one of our favorite creators, Daybreaker. They’re a vibrant and global morning dance community who quickly moved their events online, making it possible for people all around the world to dance together on a “virtual dance floor.”

Download the full infographic here.