David Bashford, Director of Siteforum, on…Why Your Next Event Should Include Virtual
David Bashford
The sudden rush for business to ‘get digital’ is fast making traditional methods of communication a distant memory; the events industry is no different. Running a virtual event, the most obvious manifestation of digital in this sector, has numerous benefits, from cutting costs to reaching a wider audience, but there will always be value in traditional, live events. People enjoy the experience of joining a crowded room and visiting various exhibitions in order to see or hear something for the first time. Moreover there are certain events where people need to be present in order to gain the full impact of what’s on show. So, is the events industry ever going to be able to embrace online, and more importantly, does it actually need to?
The pace of change is deceptively fast; it was not so long ago that few of us knew what ‘digital’ was and far fewer of us saw the potential of extending our business into virtual environments. And yet, more and more enterprises are becoming reliant on digital in order to broaden their audience, bring in new business and drive interest from their customers. These days every event has a website, at the very least, and most use various forms of new media in its various guises to promote their event beyond the confines of the “real world.” Interest and understanding of the digital world and its benefits for an event is quickly becoming recognised and virtual content is becoming the norm; market predictions are suggesting that such events are set to sky rocket over the next few years into a multi-billion pound industry. Some in the industry are seeing digital as a threat to traditional events and as such are reluctant to embrace new technology, but the only threat that digital poses to your event is that of being left behind if you ignore it’s potential.
Extend the experience
Learning that online and offline practices can be made to complement one another is the key to success in this field. Traditional, live events provide good networking opportunities and high-profile speakers which, when they’re good, people get a great deal out of hearing first-hand. There is also a feeling of exclusivity when attending a live event and seeing something showcased for the first time; it’s an attraction that’s easy to understand. However, devoting a full day (or more) to attend a big event is often a big commitment for time-poor delegates, especially when extensive travel is required in order to be able to attend in the first place. It is also not feasible to attempt to visit every available exhibition or presentation, and the documentation handed out by different vendors is difficult to handle and easy to misplace.
Hosting a virtual aspect to an event on the other hand reduces the stress inherent in dashing around to different areas of an exhibition hall instead allowing visitors to attend presentations and stands at their leisure. By embracing the virtual you extend the experience of your event for all those involved; sponsors and exhibitors are given greater exposure and visitors can browse and return at any time making the event more valuable from all perspectives.
Content is King
In most live events you will see a hive of activity; attendees typing furiously and ‘live tweeting’ to document discussions whilst exhibitors attempt to cram as much of their message as possible in the seconds they have to spend with each interested party. The virtual event can aid interaction with those individuals, keeping them engaged and connecting them with other visitors that are watching the same presentation. The virtual aspect can be further capitalised upon to ensure a rich and focused audience. Furthermore, live streaming of presentations to those that are unable to make the event will ensure no one has to miss out. Following the live event, materials and presentations can be posted online for people to re-visit ensuring that no important information is missed, something which has real potential as a positive lead generation tool.
It’s for no small reason that we call content king. Content is the glue that holds all events together, it’s one of the main reasons that visitors attend an event and what all exhibitors are attempting to convey. Creating a premium virtual aspect in order to make content available prior to the live event not only drives further revenue by making more of the event accessible to a greater number of people, but it gives the event a reference place for people to come back to time and again. That’s not to say that content necessarily has to be premium; many are choosing to take a ‘freemium’ route, making the content available for nothing, an avenue that shows great potential for future business; people pick up your content and spread it around the net, drawing interest from all areas…besides, we did call this Events 2.0 right?
Social Networking for Business
Social Networks also offer the chance for visitors to pose questions to exhibitors and presenters before the event takes place, encouraging one-to-one engagement between key speakers and amongst attendees (something which is not easily achievable at a traditional event). Visitors can also be easily connected with each other, improving networking opportunities and stimulating real-time discussion. These factors allow the event organiser to play a more pertinent role that runs far deeper than that of just being the host.
The benefits of offline and online events then, are not really up for debate. Combining both should become the future of events, creating an entirely new approach to hosting and following-up on a successful event. Before a live event for example, organisers can broadcast messages online and nurture discussion between attendees and speakers alike. This kick-starts the networking process early and enables visitors to organise meetings with other attendees or speakers at the live event, and build up a contact list which can be referred to later. The announcements promoting the event can also be linked to appropriate channels, such as Twitter or LinkedIn, to attract more visitors and enhance organic SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
Providing a platform for visitors to continue communicating for weeks and even months after the event, has a real impact when juxtaposed with visitors having to absorb two or three days worth of information while an event is being held. Updates can be posted by vendors themselves or the event organisers in order to reinvigorate presentations. Finally, visitors can continue to connect with each other, forming a vibrant social community acting as a valuable database for future events.
Virtual Exhibitions
Using virtual events is a huge value driver for exhibitors/sponsors, not only are they showcased for the 3 days of the usual event, but their online presence on a portal maximises exposure. Equally their message is spread further, faster and to more people and as attendees do not need to take the “Grab and Run” attitude to attending an event it is more likely that the content itself will be internalised. Furthermore by using an online environment you effectively create a resource by which the event can be updated again & again, ensuring that the content is always cutting edge.
Furthermore, the days of a desk with a bowl full of business cards are gone, by using a virtual aspect to any event you can create databases of leads; streamlining the process of networking during an event. It’s simple, you have a brilliantly constructive conversation with Joe Blogs; all you need to do is type his name into the search function of the online database and the data he chose to share is immediately available.
The win-win-win includes show organisers
As an event organiser it is your responsibility to ensure that all parties, be it the visitors, sponsors or exhibitors, are satisfied and using a virtual event will certainly enrich the experience for all involved by creating more opportunities for people to truly engage one another. You’ve effectively enlarged your marketing universe; removing geographical limitations and time limitations means your audience is set to grow exponentially, and that’s before we mention the fact that the content you’ve created will likely drive itself through the digital world. Your self-managing database will continue to grow with every tweet creating new revenue opportunities.
The Next Event
Although the rush to become digital has stretched across many remits, events, in their entirety, certainly won’t be going in the same direction. The advantages of hosting a traditional, live event which the internet can be used to compliment, from aiding networking to improving Q&A sessions, however are too numerous to ignore. Most importantly by creating a hybrid event visitors are able to attend 365 days a year rather than just three; prolonging the shelf-life and resonating with attendees for much longer than is possible with a traditional event.
By David Bashford, Director SITEFORUM
Category: Event Management, Virtual Events
About the Author (Author Profile)
Adam Parry is the editor for Event Industry News. If you would like to get in touch and learn more about Event Industry News email editor@eventindustrynews.co.uk.Subscribe
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very good articel. Thanks David.
You might call the artical also:
Your next event should be virtual, because of the lead generation possibilties. Thats the key issue.
Incredible blog I loved reading your info
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Of the multitude of good points made here the 365 community (perhaps with different levels of ‘membership?) and the subsequent self-generating (and self-cleaning) lead database are key. All repeat events and event portfolios will add more and more online features over the coming years and, as with previous innovations, it’s those who pioneer now that will benefit most in the long-run.