Virtual and Hybrid Events Are On The Agenda

March 28, 2011

Virtual and Hybrid Events Are On The Agenda

Introduction

Spring has sprung, which means that the year’s event schedule is now in full swing.  What’s a topic that’s getting a lot of attention?  Virtual and hybrid events.  In the past few weeks alone, virtual and hybrid events have sprung up as session topics in numerous industry events and  meetings.

International Confex, March 2011, London

International Confex took place March 1-3, 2011 in London.  According to the event’s web site, “More than 12,000 people attended the event to see the latest innovations and services in the events industry.”  The event included the following sessions:

  1. “Using virtual worlds to extend reach of events and venues”
  2. “What price for technology – why going virtual can wind up costing more than face to face” (Note: “Contrarian” to virtual, but I’d like to hear more)
  3. “A master class in blending live with online technology presented in association with Eventia”
  4. “Virtual meetings demystified” (featuring my colleague, Chris Meyer of INXPO)

For more information: View the event’s full session agenda.

MTO Summit, March 2011, Chicago

MTO Summit took place March 21-22, 2011 in Chicago.  This event focuses on meeting technology, so it’s no surprise that this year’s Chicago event included a session on virtual events.  The session was titled “How to Make Virtual Events Satisfy Customers and Deliver Profitability,” and featured the following speakers:

  1. Warwick Davies, The Event Mechanic!
  2. Michael Doyle, Virtual Edge Institute
  3. Kenji Haroutunian, Outdoor Nielsen Expositions Sports Group
  4. Michael Kushner, UBM
  5. Stephen Lieber, HIMSS

For more information: View the session listing.

A summary of the session from BizBash: “MTO Summit Addresses Value of Virtual Events, Future of Mobile Apps”

Exhibitor 2011, March 2011, Las Vegas

Exhibitor 2011, now in its 23rd year, kicks into gear this week in Las Vegas.  On March 31st, Mike Mraz will lead a session titled “The NEW Tools for Trade Show Success”.  One of the topics Mike will cover during this 90 minute session is “The appeal of virtual trade shows”.

For more information: View the session listing.

EastVirtual Event Workshop, May 2011, Washington D.C.

It’s nice to see workshops 100% focused around virtual event strategies and production.  Earlier this month, Virtual Edge Institute announced a Digital Event Strategist Certification (my thoughts on the certification).

The EastVirtual Event Workshop is a “one-day, face-to-face educational seminar,” that “helps associations go from little or no virtual event knowledge to knowing the first steps for building a 30-day implementation strategy.” It’s a 1-day workshop – and it looks interesting.

For more information: View the workshop web site.

Conclusion

Virtual event planners have more information and tools than ever before.  That being said, we need more discussion, more workshops and more tools. Drop a comment below and let us know what information and tools you need.

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Posted by Dennis Shiao

5 Tips for Your Virtual Booth

March 21, 2011

5 Tips for Your Virtual Booth

Introduction

During the ski season, I spend a lot of time on Interstate 80 in California.  When I’m unfortunate to get stuck in “stop and go” traffic, it makes me realize the effectiveness of highway billboard ads.  At the same time, however, I find that  the majority of ads are poorly done and only a handful truly resonate with me.

I also got to thinking about the similarity between highway billboard ads and the signage in booths at virtual trade shows.  In both cases, the “target audience” is highly transient, moving from one location to another. As on a highway, you may zip right past a sign (or booth) without event noticing it. With foot on the brake pedal, I pondered how the concepts behind effective billboard ads can apply to the design of your virtual booth.

1) It’s not about you.

Advertisers (exhibitors) all too often think in their own terms, when they should be thinking on their audience’s terms.  Remember that prospects don’t care about your product offerings, they care about how to solve their business challenges.  So talk to them about them and not about you.

Jiffy Lube had an effective billboard.  It said, “My time matters.”  Instead of talking at you (i.e. “Your time matters”), they put the advertisement in your own voice.  In doing so, they made it about you, and not about them.

2) Make your audience interpret a bit.

My favorite billboard ad was from ING Direct.  It said, “Drive Safely“.  That’s it!  The vast space of a billboard ad, consumed by two words. My first reaction was, “Thanks!” and my second reaction was, “Hmm, drive safely … and my money is also safe with ING.”  The impact of an ad is enhanced when viewers need to think in order to interpret its message.

3) Eliminate the Gobbledygook.

David Meerman Scott (@dmscott) wrote about The Gobbledygook Manifesto, a set of overused and cliched business terms. While I don’t see much gobbledygook on highway billboards, I see them in virtual booths.  As I mention in point #1, “it’s not about you”, so speak in terms that your audience understands. More often than not, that’s plain English (substitute your local language here).

4) Invite rather than declare.

Unlike a billboard ad where viewers can zoom by at 55 MPH (or higher), a virtual booth’s signage can invite visitors to start a conversation with your company. Rather than declaring your “market leading product” via gobbledygook, invite visitors to speak to you about their business challenges.

Remember, it’s all about their challenges and not about your products.  If your products can help address those challenges, then you may have a sales opportunity. But don’t assume that “everything fits” at the outstart.

5) Less is more.

As Jiffy Lube and ING Direct demonstrated, eloquence is all about short and sweet, not about wordiness.  Twitter taught us to go 140 characters or less – with billboard ads and booth signage, think about 14 characters or less.

Conclusion

Keep some of these principles in mind as you build your next virtual booth.  If your visitors are flying by at 55 MPH, make your booth that highway lookout, where they stop the car, pull over and stay for a while.

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Posted by Dennis Shiao

A Virtual Blog Posting

March 14, 2011

A Virtual Blog Posting

Introduction

We’ve been well served by the term “virtual events” and by its related siblings, “virtual trade shows”, “virtual career fairs”, “virtual sales kick-off meetings” and the like. The industry has been using these terms for the past 5+ years and we’ve seen gains in understanding, recognition and awareness (of the terms).

Time for a New Name?

I was happy to see that Virtual Edge Institute’s new certification is called Digital Event Strategist and not Virtual Event Strategist.  I think it’s time to consider a shift in terminology, away from the adjective “virtual”.

Is this a virtual blog posting?  Well, no, I hope not.  I’d like for it to be real.  According to the “virtual” entry on thesaurus.com, the antonyms for “virtual” include: actual, authentic and real.

Is the event running on a virtual platform?  Well, no – the platform is real, or so I hope.

Need to have the on-site team coordinate with the virtual team?  May not need to, if the virtual team isn’t real.

Want to create virtual experiences?  I hope you’re creating real experiences, experienced digitally.

Practical Limitations

Having made my point, I understand that we can’t simply turn on a dime and change terminology right away. First, it would create confusion among prospects, as well as people who are newly considering “virtual” technologies.  And while the term “digital events” seems on target, “digital trade shows”, “digital career fairs” and “digital sales kick-off meetings” don’t quite do it for me.

Your Thoughts?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts – should we keep the “virtual” terminology? If not, what new terminology would you suggest?

Related: A posting from Mike McCurry, “Meeting Attendees: It’s About My Experience, Not My Location!“

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Posted by Dennis Shiao

Marketing Roundtable on Virtual Events and Digital Communities

March 10, 2011

Marketing Roundtable on Virtual Events and Digital Communities

Introduction

On March 16, I’ll be speaking at the Focus Marketing Roundtable: The Next Generation of Virtual Events and Digital Communities.  The panel will be moderated by Shannon Ryan (@brandrelevance) and feature Dannette Veale (@dveale), Michael Doyle (@virtualedge), Paul Salinger (@psalinger) and myself.  The Roundtable happens on a teleconference, while questions are submitted via Twitter (hash tag: #FocusRT).

When
March 16, 2011
1PM PT / 4PM ET

Where
Toll-free Dial-In Number: (866) 951-1151
International Dial-In Number: (201) 590-2255
Conference # : 4999006

Roundtable Topics

Topics up for discussion include:

  1. Must-know 2011 trends in virtual events and digital communities.
  2. How to garner corporate support and leverage virtual/digital environments to address objectives across the organization.
  3. Essential tips for transforming your environment into an “always-on” brand experience.

You can RSVP via LinkedIn here: http://events.linkedin.com/Focus-Marketing-Roundtable-Next/pub/585008

And finally, for more info, visit FOCUS.com: http://www.focus.com/events/marketing/focus-marketing-roundtable-next-generation-virtual-events-an/

Conclusion

Hope to “see” you there – in the meantime, for any questions, tweet them with hash tag #FocusRT.

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Posted by Dennis Shiao

My Thoughts on Virtual Edge Institute’s Digital Event Strategist Certification

March 9, 2011

My Thoughts on Virtual Edge Institute's Digital Event Strategist Certification

Introduction

Virtual Edge Institute announced a Digital Event Strategist certification.  The certification will launch in June at the PCMA Education Conference in Baltimore.  This signals an important development in the evolution of our industry.  Here are the phases that I anticipate seeing.

Phase I: Focus on Education and Training

The Virtual Edge Institute (VEI) certification program is the only structured and formalized training program in the digital events space today.  As a result, it will be quite attractive to “newbies” looking to get into the industry (i.e. land their first job). It will also attract experienced digital events professionals who’d like to sharpen their skills or take their knowledge and capabilities to the next level.

I expect that participants in the certification program will also benefit from the opportunity to connect and collaborate with industry peers. While the industry is still small, it can be challenging to meet and connect with the folks doing the same job (as you) at other companies. I’d expect VEI to build community programs around their certification, such as groups (within their existing web site), LinkedIn groups, etc.

Phase II: Focus on the Certification for Career Advancement

While the focus on Phase I was to receive basic education, the program advances to Phase II once a critical mass of professionals achieve certification.  As with any certification program, the early days involve a “chicken and egg” phenomenon, whereby the certification doesn’t take hold until enough people enroll – and, people hold off on enrolling until they see enough “others” doing it.

How can you tell when Phase II arrives? When employers of digital event strategists make the certification a difference maker in the hiring process – and, when the strategists “headline” the certification on their resume or LinkedIn profile.  When we reach this phase, strategists will be compelled to enroll in the program in order to stay current with best practices – and, to advance their careers.

Phase III: Specialization and Standards

As a certification (and the corresponding industry) grows, it often necessitates specialization, as a broad program may no longer be sufficient to address specialized skills.  In digital events, I anticipate specialized certification in the areas of rich media production, hybrid events, mobile technologies and project management.  That’s right – I think it makes sense to have a certification around project management of digital events.

In addition to certification, it would make sense for VEI to define and develop standards for the industry – things like standardization of terminology (e.g. exactly how do you define “virtual event”), the definition and publishing of ROI models, and comparative benchmarks that buyers can use to evaluate digital event platforms and services.

Conclusion

I’m looking forward to the launch of this certification program. While it will be interesting to look at uptake when this program rolls out in June, I’m sure the true impact of the program will be over the long term.

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Posted by Dennis Shiao

How Your Virtual Event Can Benefit From Personalized Guides

March 2, 2011

Add Personalized Guides to Your Virtual Event

Introduction

In virtual events, there are staffers to “patrol” the event and assist attendees who have technical and logistical issues.  Beyond the logistical matters, however, how much do event planners invest towards the end-to-end attendee experience?

And, how often do staffers provide tips and guidance on the more strategic elements of an event: which sessions to attend, what content to download, which exhibitors to visit and which attendees to meet with? The answer: probably not enough.

An Idea, Sparked by Metaverse Mod Squad

I was struck by this missing element while reading a New York Times article, “A Patrol for the Web’s Playgrounds.” The article profiles Metaverse Mod Squad, a company that provides clients with moderators to “patrol” their web sites and virtual worlds.  Amy Pritchard (@AmyMMS), the company’s chief executive, had a great quote:

“We found if we greeted people, told them what they could do, gave them an event card and introduced them to other people, they had more fun.”

I think the same benefit can apply to B2B virtual events, where “fun” (in the sentence above) could be replaced with “getting more value out of the event”.

Benefit #1: Better Orientation of New Visitors

After logging in to a virtual event, attendees typically see a video greeting, either in an embedded video player, or via a host/hostess who was filmed against a “greenscreen” and overlaid on top of the environment.  The “New Greenscreen” are real, live “greeters”, who welcome visitors to the virtual event and chat with them, either via text or audio/video.

The “New Greenscreen” is like a host or hostess at a cocktail party.  They take your coat and point you to where the action is happening.  To support large audiences, the greeters can hold group sessions.  They can let the gathered audience know “what’s hot” (e.g. details on the session that is coming up next) and ask attendees what they’re looking to get out of the event.

As they learn more about the visitors, the greeters can suggest exhibitors to visit, sessions to attend and event content to download. Already, you’re providing attendees with a lot more usefulness than the typical video greeting, which is targeted to a broad audience and not an individual (who has unique needs and goals).

Benefit #2: Better Connect Attendees to One Another

A significant benefit of events (whether they’re physical or virtual) is the ability to network with like-minded (or perhaps different minded) attendees. In a virtual event, I may “seek and find” other attendees via social network integration, via group chat and perhaps via search.  But the connections are somewhat random and serendipitous.

The event’s personalized guides could serve as “business-oriented matchmakers”, pairing attendees with one another. I once attended a physical networking event and told the host that I work in the Marketing function at a start-up.  She immediately introduced me to a consultant who helps companies launch new  products – and, asked if my company was looking to hire, since there were executive recruiters in attendance.

Without the proactive host, my introduction to the consultant may never have happened. In a similar way, the personalized guides, upon understanding attendees’ business goals (and challenges), could pair them with exhibitors whose products or services address those challenges.

The guides could have a special designation on their profile (analogous to wearing a “Staff” shirt at a physical event), so that attendees know to accept their chat requests – and, so that they can be proactively contacted by other attendees.

Benefit #3: Get Help from the Concierge(s) at The Information Desk

Personalized guides would all have their “presence indicators” (i.e. whether they’re online) appear at The Information Desk. This area becomes the one-stop shop for both technical support and “concierge” services.  Need a recommendation between the two sessions airing simultaneously? Visit the Information Desk and get an informed opinion.

Looking for exhibitors who provide certain solutions?  Ask your friendly guide at The Information Desk.  Looking for that “kitchen design consultant” to map out the schedule and activities for your entire day?  No worries, the concierge at the desk who assemble a “user journey” for you.

Conclusion

Virtual events do not employ this sort of service today, but I think that attendees will find it valuable. Of course, doing this will result in additional cost for the event producer, but it may pay off in the long run, based on attendee satisfaction.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below – will this work?

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Posted by Dennis Shiao

5 Virtual Events Postings You May Have Missed

February 23, 2011

5 Virtual Events Postings You May Have Missed

Introduction

In the rush to get caught up with RSS feeds (that I routinely neglect when busy), I unintentionally skip articles and postings that I’d find quite interesting and valuable. With that in mind, I thought I’d round up recent virtual events postings (from this blog) that you may have otherwise missed.  And yes, I do still use an RSS reader.

1) Interactive Emails and Potential Use in Virtual Event Promotions

Virtual Event Email Promotions and Hotmail Active Views

Like banner ads, email marketing and email (in general), response rates tend to decline over time.  The use of interactive elements (within the email) could be a big win – and this certainly applies to virtual event email promotions. Here’s a link to the full posting:

https://allvirtual.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/virtual-event-email-promotions-and-hotmail-active-views/

2) Virtual Event Lead Management

Virtual Event Lead Management

I outline the “drive-by viewing” that you often see at virtual events and note that those visitors are names, not leads.  I also introduce the notion of curating your leads, as if they were fine art.  Here’s a link to the full posting:

https://allvirtual.wordpress.com/2011/01/22/book-supplement-virtual-event-lead-management-leadmanagement/

3) Why I’m There on Pure Virtual Events

I wrote a counterpoint to an article from Velvet Chainsaw’s Dave Lutz on the topic of pure virtual events. While I’m a firm believer in hybrid events, I also believe in the benefits of “pure” virtual events.  Here’s a link to the full posting:

http://inxpo.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/why-im-there-on-pure-virtual-events/

4) Can I Get a Woo Hoo for Virtual Events?

Can I Get a Woo Hoo for Virtual Events

I loved the tactics used by a department store to encourage customers to contribute (to a charity) at the cash register. I loved it so much, in fact, that I decided to draw parallels with the store’s tactics and apply them towards the planning and promotion of virtual events.  Here’s a link to the full posting:

https://allvirtual.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/can-i-get-a-woo-hoo-for-virtual-events/

5) Use Virtual Booths to Complement Your Physical Booths

Use Virtual Booths to Follow Up with Leads from Your Physical Booth

I outline ways in which a virtual booth can allow trade show exhibitors to distribute content, nurture leads and engage with prospects in real-time (after the event).  Here’s a link to the full posting:

https://allvirtual.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/use-virtual-booths-to-follow-up-with-leads-from-your-physical-booth/

Conclusion

If you liked any of these postings, but missed them when they were originally published, subscribe to the It’s All Virtual RSS feed.  If you do subscribe, but “Mark All As Read” in a rush to get caught up, I forgive you (I know the feeling).

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Posted by Dennis Shiao

Can I Get A Woo Hoo For Virtual Events?

February 7, 2011

Introduction

At department stores and supermarkets, I’m often asked to make a small donation to a charity at the cash register.  Truth be told, I often choose not to donate. The other day, however, I encountered a scenario in which 100% of customers donated – and, I went to the checkout counter asking if I could donate.

How They Did It

The store was able to accomplish this with a fairly simple tactic.  After each donation, the cashier would get on the loud speaker and proclaim, “We just got another donation to the American Heart Association! Can I get a woo hoo?”  The request was then followed with a loud “woo hoo!” from a number of people.  While shopping, customers would hear these announcements every few minutes.

How could I possibly relate this to virtual events? Well, like an email promotion for your virtual event, the donation was a call to action, in which potential donors needed to understand the value of taking action. Let’s consider some of the particulars.

Be Different

Announcements over the loudspeaker have been done before, but the use of the “woo hoo” was different.  Every time the “woo hoo” was announced, I got a chuckle out of it and other customers did as well.  While requesting a “woo hoo” for your virtual event may not be effective, consider ways in which your marketing and promotion can stand out from the many emails in everyone’s inbox.

Reward Users

Give value back to your users.  For the donation, the reward was very basic and yet, customers continually opted to receive it.  When I approached the cash register, I told the cashier that their “system” was quite clever.  Her response was, “So, do you want your woo hoo?” The donation, while important, become secondary to the acknowledgement.

Involve Your Team

At the store, managers had party horns – when a “woo hoo” was announced, the managers would yell “woo hoo!” and then blow the party horns.  It felt like a New Year’s Eve party and the horns added to the awareness and fun.  For a virtual event, encourage your team to share and promote the event within their social circles, both offline and online.  With the vast reach of social networks in the online world, your own team can make a big difference.

Make Participation Infectious

This can be challenging to achieve – after all, you just can’t “make a video go viral”.  That being said, I believe that our natural inclination is to “follow the herd”, which is one reason the donation did so well.  People donated because everyone else was.  But, it had to be easy (the donation was simply added to your purchase at the register) and it had to be well promoted and shared (the loudspeaker).  With these elements in place, along with “being different”, the store got every single customer to donate.

Conclusion

Instead of doing the same thing over and over when marketing your virtual event, consider new and creative ways to involve your audience, reward them and keep them coming back.  If you can achieve infectious participation, you won’t need to send out as many email blasts.

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Posted by Dennis Shiao

A Virtual Events Calendar … Maintained By You

February 4, 2011

Introduction

I put up a Virtual Events Calendar on this blog in 2009.  Back then, it was fairly easy to know (and find) the majority of virtual events that were being produced in the U.S.  But my, how the industry has grown! I kept the calendar fairly up to date in 2009 and 2010, but as we head further into 2011, I’m finding it harder to keep the calendar current.

Community Management

So keeping with the trends we’re seeing across the web today, I decided to move the calendar to a wiki, which allows anyone to add their virtual event(s) to the calendar.

Sure, this can lead to spam and promotion, but as we saw with Wikipedia, a workable wiki requires an active community of “editors” to keep things on track.  As such, I’ll be checking to make sure the calendar doesn’t get spammed – and I hope some of you join me to assist in “checks and balances”.

Without further ado, you can find the wiki style virtual events calendar at:

http://allvirtual.pbworks.com/w/page/35815064/Virtual-Events-Calendar

Click on the “Edit” tab, sign up for a PBworks account (if you don’t already have one) and make your edits!

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Posted by Dennis Shiao

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