Despite South by Southwest being cancelled in March, an Air Force small business event (The Spark Collider and Pitch Bowl) which was scheduled for the Austin-based festival ended up attracting 5,000 more attendees when moving to a virtual setting.

Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics says online events has “democratized” the branch’s outreach for engaging with industry.

“We are going to continue to have this virtual overlay so that people can join without having to travel, they can be part of the community, and where social media, the ability to have queries and polls — to engage as opposed to just listen — is part of how we do business,” said Roper in a Federal News Network article.

Along with the Pitch Bowl, the Air Force has two upcoming virtual-only events: The Hack-a-Sat competition and the Advanced Manufacturing Olympics.

“Physical events may be required in the future, but my commitment is to make the virtual event the event: The real thing is happening online,” said Roper.

U.S. Air Force photo by Andy Morataya