Blog Archives
Come out of the kitchen and join the party
Back in January our colleagues at 6Connex posted the following:
Here’s a list of live (as we write today) virtual environments to give you an idea of how the virtual technology platforms (6Connex and others) are being used:
- Secure international sales and marketing conference (3 of these)
- Continuing medical education center
- Partner portal with both secure entitlement and public access options (4)
- Association trade show (14)
- Executive briefing center with public access (2)
- Product line marketing and communication portal (6)
- Consumer product information center (31)
- Highly secure pre-patent (executive only) poster show on new technology
- Medical equipment tradeshow (4)
- Hybrid events – virtual component to a physical show (22)
- Sales training conference (3)
- Thought leadership knowledge center (2)
If ever there was evidence that virtual event solutions are becoming an integral part of the mainstream, surely this is it. And every day there is yet another announcement from a technology provider about new clients and new uses for the platform.
With the possibilities only limited by your imagination, if you haven’t already investigated the opportunities, don’t you think it’s time you did? Come and visit us to see for yourself.
Who are the best virtual event organisers
At the Conference for Conference Professionals last Friday (1st April 2011), one of the speakers in a session dedicated to virtual events made the comment that the best virtual event organisers are ones that have experience in physical events.
While he had a point in some respects, i.e. that it is easier to visualise and plan the layout, flow and dynamics of a virtual event if you know how it would work in a live environment; it is all too easy to create a situation where the potential of the virtual solution to deliver a dynamic online experience is hamstrung by an inibility to think outside the event box.
What is far more important is a very clear understanding of your target audience: what you are trying to achieve in via your virtual event; what success looks like from their perspective; what they are trying to achieve by attending; and then you can design and build a solution around these goals. Like the very best live events, the very best virtual ones are not just content for content’s sake, or a random selection of suppliers and seminars brought together in a beautiful environment.
How the West was virtually won
We are delighted to welcome Greg Hackett, managing director at Informa VBC as our guest blogger today, talking about the New Frontiers of virtual events.
For anyone who has seen the shocking but excellent Deadwood, US TV’s dramatised journey into the Wild West, they may also have found themselves drawing parallels with the emerging Virtual Events market. Or maybe that’s just me, but as with any gold rush it is difficult to estimate the size of the prize, though some have tried with $15bn by the year 2015 being the most commonly distributed estimate.
Such quoted numbers are likely to have many an opportunist packing up their wagon and heading West. Gunslingers, evangelists, entrepreneurs, law-keepers and all manner of people offering services, advice and partnerships to anyone willing to listen. Hoping to be early in – and in some cases early out following an acquisition – this community has set up shop before very much gold is unearthed.
I am not complaining – it is a good thing and a necessary part of the process for an emerging market. I believe there is enough custom in them there hills for all, and most of the characters are ingenious and certainly watchable.
So within the dusty streets of Virtual Deadwood there are a number of battles raging, all of which are played out in the neighbourhoods of Social Media for those of us interested enough to participate. Largely, the areas of conflict centre around pegs that different businesses have decided to hang their strategy on.
The biggest strategic decision of them all is 3D – go down this alley as a platform provider and there is no coming back. I have no problem with 3D for those who want it. And why should I? Who am I to judge how people should consume content? But there are judges at large in Virtual Deadwood.
Some people in business like the idea of avatars, but for most of us who want to meet anyone for real we can catch a plane or pick up the phone, both of which the last time I looked still do the job. Our kids might want all this stuff, having graduated at Club Penguin but that’s a few years off and business also needs to deal with the here and now. But good luck to them.
What I do want is real live poker down at the saloon. In 20 years of events I have never seen a presentation which would improve with a second outing. Events should come and go, delight in the moment and remain in the memory. Otherwise they are not events at all, but simply trapped content, processed and served cold. A pre-recorded speaker will never let anything interesting slip, drop witty asides or impress you with his or her business guile.
Even though this industry is in truth quite old now, the real opportunity has only recently come into view for most. Some of the big winners may not even be in town yet. I am humbled by the work that has gone before and I respect the pioneers. But like the vast majority I want to be a settler, which hopefully means I am less likely to be seen down a canyon pulling arrows from my back.
