Unlocking Innovation: The Advantages Of Hosting Virtual Hackathons

The rules of engagement for each virtual hackathon vary, but the overall structure is a competition between several self-organized teams that, once they declare their participation, have about a week to prepare for the event, assigning team members to different parts of the project during this time. Many people form teams right before or in the early hours of the event. They don’t have much time to pick who will do what, but collaborating with fresh people from different backgrounds can spark the creativity that every hackathon participant craves.

Hosting a hackathon is a significant undertaking. When organizing this exercise, there seem to be an unlimited number of factors to consider. One of the most essential considerations to make is whether to organize an online or physical hackathon.

Both hackathons will have different requirements and specs. This is why it should be the first decision you make when organizing a hackathon. This blog article will discuss online hackathons and their advantages over their physical counterparts.

Planning a Successful Online Hackathon: The Essentials

Whether you are planning your first hackathon or not, it is important to understand the fundamentals of organizing an online hackathon. Even if this isn’t your first time hosting, it’s likely to be one of the first times you’ve hosted an online hackathon.

Online vs. Traditional Hackathons

Online hackathons differ slightly from traditional ones. They also offer a slew of benefits that regular hackathons may not be able to provide, particularly given the current situation.

No geographical constraints

With an online hackathon, the world is your oyster. You will not have to limit your invitations to IT experts in your area. Because the event will take place online, you will be able to recruit and invite bright minds from all around the world to attend.

More budget-friendly

When hosting an online event, you won’t have to spend a lot of money. You’ll have more money to spend on prizes and giveaways because you won’t have to pay for a venue or other expenditures.

Organizing a Socially (and Physically Distant) Hackathon

One of the most significant advantages is that online hackathons do not require participants to be physically present in one spot. Even if pandemic standards have relaxed slightly in recent months, it is still preferable (and safer) for everyone involved if social and physical distance is maintained.

Choosing a Hackathon Platform

One of the most important things is to research the hackathon platform that you will utilize for your event. When deciding which platform to utilize, you should check for particular qualities.

For your participants, the platform must be able to provide simple registration, rapid team building processes, and a simple way to submit entries for the hackathon event. All of these must be pretty simple, which requires you to select a user-friendly platform.

On the other side, the event hosts must be able to easily access all of the attendees’ profiles. They should also have access to all of the entries made by participants. Submissions should be accessible without the need to download them.

Plan your Hackathon today!

Hackathons are fantastic opportunities for young programmers and IT professionals. Aside from being a handy way for brilliant minds to meet, online hackathons are excellent platforms for rapid innovation. Not to add that the participants will have a great time during the process! Now that you understand the benefits of organizing an online hackathon, we hope you will be able to walk away with enough knowledge to arrange a successful online event.

Any hackathon has the ability to generate novel solutions to a problem and stimulate innovation. They can also provide opportunities to foster community, discover new talent, or simply have fun. However, virtual hackathons offer numerous extra benefits.

It will not break the bank.

Virtual hackathons, as online events, are far less expensive than regular hackathons held in physical locations. While you must ensure that your digital infrastructure and support are good, investing in a reliable virtual event platform to conduct your virtual hackathon is still less expensive than doing a physical event.

It’s environmentally friendly.

Attendees do not need to travel by plane, train, or automobile to attend a virtual hackathon, considerably minimizing the carbon footprint compared to an in-person event.

It can promote diversity.

Participants can be anywhere because virtual or online hackathons are held online and are not limited by geography or physical venues. This implies that many more people can participate, bringing viewpoints, experiences, and brain power from all around the world. Furthermore, by bringing in a culturally varied collection of participants, you are encouraging diverse ways of thinking, which is critical to the hackathon concept itself.

It accommodates a variety of work styles and preferences.

Everyone has their own favorite manner of working. Claire enjoys blasting 80s favorites as she works, while Jamie requires complete silence. Whatever helps someone perform their best job may be accommodated much more readily when a hackathon is virtual.

It will not transmit harmful bacteria.

While physical events are regaining popularity, COVID-19 is still present and easily spread from person to person. Other infections, such as the common cold and influenza, can also cause the same symptoms. Virtual hackathons are held entirely online, eliminating the danger of illness associated with big in-person meetings.

It can unite your company’s workforce.

Virtual hackathons are also an excellent internal tool, particularly as remote work becomes more prevalent. Employees can engage on online hackathon platforms with colleagues from any city or nation, boosting communication and collaboration on a whole new level.

The rules of engagement for each virtual hackathon vary, but the overall structure is a competition between several self-organized teams that, once they declare their participation, have about a week to prepare for the event, assigning team members to different parts of the project during this time. Many people form teams right before or in the early hours of the event. They don’t have much time to pick who will do what, but collaborating with fresh people from different backgrounds can spark the creativity that every hackathon participant craves and all this can be successfully ventured with the help of Mercer | Mettl, Check Now.

Also Read : How To Become A Professional In Ethical Hacking?