In this episode of The Power Table Podcast, Taylor Smith answers a question she gets asked constantly as someone whose brand runs over 350 virtual and in-person events a year, are virtual conferences and summits dead. Her answer is yes and no. The passive, pre-recorded format from 2020 to 2022 is finished, but live, highly interactive virtual events are doing something completely different right now.

Taylor breaks down exactly what the old virtual summit format looked like, why it worked briefly during the pandemic, and why it stopped working the moment people had other options again. She gets into why pre-recorded content cannot compete with the energy and engagement people are actually craving in 2026, and what hosts and attendees should be looking for instead.

If you have ever registered for a virtual summit and never opened a single replay, or you are deciding whether virtual events are even worth running or attending anymore, this episode lays out exactly what changed and what to look for going forward.

In this episode, we cover:

• What the old virtual summit format looked like, and why the model became exhausted by 2022
• Why passive, pre-recorded content cannot compete with AI tools that can deliver the same information faster
• Why live events create higher stakes, deeper engagement, and real breakthroughs for attendees
• What changed for attendees since the pandemic, and why the bar for virtual events is so much higher now
• How to evaluate any virtual event before committing your time, whether you are hosting or attending
• Why Stand Out & Sell Out shifted from a mix of pre-recorded and live content to being fully live this year

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