We live in the golden age of technology. Almost every task we need to complete can be done over the Internet, including attending seminars and workshops. So why are so many people attending on-site seminars instead of participating online? Of course, every participant has his or her own reasons for choosing live seminars and workshops but there are some common threads in the reasoning. It comes down to the human element. Many people feel that they can receive more benefit from face-to-face interactions than from Internet communication. Here are five important characteristics that are missing from online seminars:

1. Travel – Many people enjoy attending live seminars because it gives them the opportunity to travel and enjoy new places while learning at the seminars. In many cases, the cost of the seminar and its related travel are covered as business expenses so the attendee has a free or low-cost mini-vacation.
2. Learning styles – Some people choose live seminars and workshops over online seminars because they can master the ideas and concepts more easily in a face-to-face environment.
3. Social interaction – By attending face-to-face seminars, people can learn from the questions and stories of other attendees, in addition to the information contained in the main presentations. This is also an excellent way to meet up with old friends, collaborate with others in your field, make new contacts, and gain peer insights into issues you are facing.
4. Focus – Attending seminars and workshops in person helps keep people more focused on the matter at hand than they would be in an online environment. Thus, the learning is more concentrated and will be more beneficial to attendees.
5. Synergy – The combination of the above benefits of human elements combine to provide a much larger benefit than any of the individual components. This combination is something that online seminars cannot offer.