Meeting Content
What’s In: The world is still navigating the use of virtual meetings technology, but one thing has become clear: When it comes to content, sheer data is best suited to a virtual format. That means guidelines, regulations, upgrades, statements and other black-and-white data can more easily be communicated via a virtual event (whether it’s a teleconference, demo or tutorial) than can any content that involves best practices, soft skills or other material requiring a conversation. The best-case scenario is virtual events serving as a complement to face-to-face, however. Midori Connolly, co-founder, CEO, and “chief A/V girl” for Pulse Staging and Events, says she once worked with a large footwear manufacturer that would traditionally hold a multiple-day conference consisting of two days of dry data presentations followed by teambuilding. In an effort to streamline operations, give employees more control over their time and bump up the impact of the conference, the company switched the data presentations to an on-demand online tutorial and used the face-to-face event to allow employees to see and touch the products as well as for teambuilding. “Feedback was overwhelmingly positive,” she says. “They increased their satisfaction tenfold—it was huge.” Adds Steven Hacker, the outgoing president of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE): “The face-to-face experience is the only one that is capable of engaging all of the tactile senses. It gives context and deeper meaning.”
What’s Out: An either/or proposition. Companies can’t simply use technology to replace face-to-face meetings. “It’s more about blending the two,” Connolly says.
Cost
What’s In: For the most part, attendees will expect webinars and virtual trade shows to be free. For webinars, charging may only come into play for highly specialized content geared toward a highly specialized audience — for example, new technologies or theories being presented to 100 neurosurgeons — or if the speaker being advertised is particularly famous and charging a high speaker’s fee.
What’s Out: High fees are out—including the costs associated with producing a virtual event. What might have cost corporations $6,000 a few years ago may now be less than $2,000, Hacker says.
Post-Event Follow-up
What’s In: It’s now about engaging the audience before, during, and after the event. “It’s actually really crucial to facilitate those relationships pre- and during the event,” Connolly says. The challenge for planners is to think about how they can leverage the technologies out there to create communities for attendees before and during the event that actually facilitate results after it’s over. Some organizations have tried giving iPads or iPods to attendees with software pre-installed that allows them to conduct surveys in real time during the event, or allows attendees to communicate with each other while at the event. “Companies are really looking to use more mobile applications and high tech in real time versus post-event follow-up,” reiterates Iwamoto, adding that it’s also a sign of the increasingly “green” times.
What’s Out: Following up a live event with just a lone paper mailing is a thing of the past. Creating online communities before, during and after the event is increasingly the norm.