The word ‘webinar’ is a combination of the words 'web' and 'seminar'. In contrast to a seminar, which has a physical audience, a webinar is broadcast via the internet to an online audience.

Webinars are also known as web events, online seminars, webcasts, web lectures or virtual events.

Webinars can be transmitted either live or pre-recorded, and participants can follow them on their PCs, Macs, tablets or smartphones. In addition to the audio and visual components, webinars can also feature PowerPoint slides of presentations which can be synchronized with the audio and video. Webinar presenters can also make use of the ‘screen capture’ functionality to demonstrate particular applications or other websites to the online audience.

A webinar is a form of what is classed as ‘one-to-many’ communication: reaching a group of viewers from a single location. Live webinars can facilitate interaction with the audience, although this is less feasible with very large groups of participants. A webinar offers various interactive features, including:

• Ask a question
• Chat
• Poll
• Survey
• Call to Action
• Twitter  

As organizations increasingly look for ways to reduce their spending on travel and accommodation and extend the reach of their events, interest in webinars continues to grow. Various studies have shown that webinars are a very effective and cost-efficient way of communicating with employees, members, suppliers, intermediaries, potential or existing customers or other stakeholders, and many companies have already discovered the benefits for themselves.