Meetings are common in work areas and educational institutions. They are conducted for various purposes. Various modes of meetings are conducted.
Online modes of meetings are simple and can be attended from anywhere in the world. Webinars have become so common in recent years. They are useful for people to gain knowledge just by attending them from their home.
Key Takeaways
- Conferences involve face-to-face interactions, whereas webinars are virtual events conducted online.
- Conferences allow networking opportunities and physical product demonstrations, while webinars lack in-person interaction.
- Webinars are more cost-effective and accessible than conferences, requiring no travel or accommodation expenses.
Conference vs Webinar
A conference is a communication session conducted by several people to discuss a particular topic. Web conference is a video conference that takes place via the Internet. Webinar is a type of web conference that is mostly one-way with limited audience interaction for example seminars or workshops.
Conferences are held for like-minded people to get together and talk about particular topics. In work areas, they are organized to discuss a new initiative or any crises to get solutions or to get the views of different people.
Academic conferences are mainly meant to provide knowledge to students on certain topics.
Webinars are seminars that are conducted through online platforms. It allows live video conversations. It is one of the most convenient types of seminar.
Various technical aids are used to make webinars interesting and realistic. Various platforms are used for webinars. Google meet, Zoom, MS teams are some of the common platforms.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Conference | Webinar |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Online or Offline | Strictly online |
| Purpose | Academic, professional, diplomatic, etc | Mostly educational but may also be for other purposes |
| Requirements | Participants must enroll for the conference | Mobile or Laptop, and internet connection |
| Types | Academic, Web conference, Athletic conference, peace conference, etc | Educational, Employee training, product demonstration, etc |
| Events | Round tables, Discussion, Paper presentation | Presentation, Question session, Discussion |
What is a Conference?
Conferences serve as a way for like-minded people to meet. They provide knowledge about new technologies and research when they are academic type.
Academic conferences are also called workshops, symposiums, or meetings. Researchers also share information about the work they have done. A single academic conference may have various presentations.
Besides presentations conferences can also include paper presentations, round tables, panel discussions, and workshops. TED talks can also be a part of some conferences.
Athletic conferences are the meeting of athletes from different parts of the world. The players may be groups that are playing a common game against each other.
Authors or writers also have conferences in which they gather together and review their works. They share their thoughts about each work.
This helps the authors to make improvements in their work and enhance their writing skills. Illustrators, Editors, and Publishers are also invited to this type of conference. Shepherding is an important process that occurs before the conference.
Authors submit their work and each work is given to another author who serves as the shepherd and the shepherd helps the writer to make improvements in their work.
A peace conference is also a type of conference where representatives of each country come together and sign peace treaties. Conferences are mostly gatherings and rarely occur in online modes.
What is a Webinar?
Webinars are made possible by present-day technology. They help to connect people from every corner of the world. A presenter is invited to a webinar.
He/She is the guest speaker who delivers the speech. They may be an expert in the field of the title of the webinar. They use PowerPoint presentations to make the webinar interesting.
Sharing the Screen option is available in many of the platforms used for webinars like Google meet. Images, Flow Charts, and Data are presented.
Participants can communicate through chat, voice, or video. But, they remain silent during the lecture. Discussion time is for them to raise questions and discuss their thoughts. Webinars are highly useful in academics.
Webinar platforms can be either used in browsers or applications. Famous webinar platforms have mobile applications for easy access.
Webinars can be recorded and the recordings can be used in the future. Blank whiteboards where the presenter can write or draw whatever they want is also an option in some webinar platforms. They can also highlight texts in their slide share.
The host of the webinar can also control the entry of people into the webinar. They can also mute the audio of the participants or remove them if needed.
The webinar has become very common now and helps students to gain knowledge on the field they are interested in. There are various types of webinars. Some are Product demonstration webinars, educational webinars, employee training webinars, etc.
Main Differences Between Conference and Webinar
- The conference may be virtual or in person. If not virtual it involves a group of people meeting in person. Webinars are always in virtual mode.
- International conferences are attended by people coming from different countries to a commonplace but, webinars can be attended from home
- Conferences are not very convenient because some people may not be able to travel to the venue whereas, webinars are very convenient in that they can be attended from the comfort of one’s home
- Conferences help people to meet new people with the same mindset and interests while webinars are not very helpful in finding new people
- Participants need not have electronic gadgets like mobile phones and laptops during a conference in all cases while Webinars cannot be attended without a mobile phone or laptop
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10157-013-0869-6
- https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/aafcs/jfcs/2015/00000107/00000002/art00012
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
