Building the virtual dancefloor: delivering and experiencing house music events in the time of COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequent social lockdowns necessitated an immediate cessation of events, replaced entirely by virtual events – a concept present in the existing events literature, but one not fully conceptualised. This article explores the virtual event experience during the pandemic through the lens of a case study, Love to Be events, a long-established house music brand which produced a series of successful virtual events during the lockdowns and beyond. This research also offers discussion on the potential for virtual events – in contrast to what this research terms ‘venued events’ – to become a notable and profitable element of the events industry in the longer term. The article presents a substantial literature review considering multiple relevant areas, centring on the event experience and virtual event potential. The article also presents primary qualitative data in the form of a semi-structured interview with Marc Dennis and Tony Walker, DJs and founders of Love to Be, conducted in Autumn 2020 via Zoom, and analysed using a thematic analysis as well as comparison with other pandemic virtual events. The original contribution to the events studies literature is two-fold; firstly, a novel conceptualisation of event experience during this historic moment, documenting the practical and philosophical nature of events at that time. Secondly, by synthesising primary and secondary data, it offers theoretical principles on how virtual events may develop to become a notable and profitable element of the industry. The article concludes with suggestions for future research, in the hope that this exploratory research will stimulate further studies.