| Event organizers are thinking twice about everything | | | | expanded, benefiting the event's industry as a whole. |
| these days: how big a space to book, how many | | | | Here are some things to think about as you prepare |
| hotels rooms to block, even whether to hold the | | | | to virtualize your event. First, should you try to |
| event at all. Never has the cost benefit ratio been | | | | accomplish this with your in-house staff or |
| under more scrutiny for meetings and shows of all | | | | outsource? While the prospect of saving money by |
| flavors. That's why many organizers have turned to | | | | using existing staff is certainly attractive, will they be |
| the virtual event as a solution. | | | | able to handle all the disparate pieces that go into |
| Associations such as the National Association of | | | | making the event a success online: professional video |
| Broadcasters and the Case Management Society of | | | | capture of sessions and booth demos; an attractive |
| America, publishers such as UBM and IDG, and | | | | and engaging online event site that provides |
| corporations like Symantec and Xerox all have | | | | registration, tracking, pay-per-view, and social |
| embraced the virtual event in their quest to engage a | | | | networking capabilities; hosting capacity that can |
| wider audience. Some organizations, such as the | | | | adequately handle the streaming requirements for |
| American Diabetes Association, are even going a | | | | such an effort? |
| step further - in 2009 the association will forgo its | | | | When polling vendors, be sure to inquire about the |
| on-site event altogether, in favor of a totally virtual | | | | following: |
| event. While thousands of live events are still alive | | | | 1. How turnkey is the solution - will the package |
| and well, virtual events are becoming a rapidly | | | | offered cover the bulk of the organization's needs or |
| growing adjunct to the traditional trade show. Online | | | | will there be a complex array of a la carte options to |
| virtual event vendors such as Performedia, ON24, | | | | navigate? |
| and Inxpo, are just a few of these advancing media | | | | 2. For session capture, will the multimedia player be |
| production companies. | | | | limited to simply showing the video of the presenter |
| In the typical virtual event scenario, keynote and | | | | and their slides? A qualified vendor should be able to |
| breakout sessions are captured on site on video. If | | | | capture any visual component of a presentation - |
| there is an expo hall, a number of vendor exhibits are | | | | software demos, web tours, etc. |
| captured on video as well. The content is bundled | | | | 3. Will the content be indexed so online attendees |
| into a virtual event that makes this content available | | | | can go right to the items that interest them the |
| over the web for some number of months after the | | | | most? |
| event is over. The result is that hundreds or even | | | | 4. As for the expo hall - will visitors be able to see |
| thousands of potential attendees can still participate. | | | | the actual presentation the exhibitor was showing on |
| Events that extend themselves through virtualization | | | | site? |
| reap a variety of benefits: | | | | The bad news is the economy. The good news is |
| 1. Attendees stay connected to the event and the | | | | that the need for events and the information they |
| hosting organization, increasing the chances that | | | | collect and pass on has never been greater, and |
| when time and budget allow they will attend a live | | | | virtualization has arisen as a hard-working analog to |
| event again. | | | | the on-site show. The question is: while you ponder |
| 2. Sponsors and exhibitors experience increased | | | | the budgetary crevasses facing your event, will you |
| traffic and garner new qualified leads via their | | | | take the time to consider a bridge not only to better |
| virtualized booths, helping the organizers recruit new | | | | audience and revenue numbers, but a better event |
| members and/or attendees. | | | | over all. |
| 3. The overall flow of information and ideas is vastly | | | | |