Virtual Event Success

About a year ago, I launched the Association of Virtual Event Managers, Organizers and Hosts (AOVEM). I felt the time was right to create a community where those who organize virtual events could come together to support each other and get advice.

It didn’t go so well. The model was flawed. Instead of treating AOVEM like a professional association, I treated it as a membership club. Monthly fees, monthly expert interviews, monthly exhaustion.

I memfaded – I had a membership club flame out.

Sadly, the vision I had for AOVEM and the techniques I was using to keep it going were in conflict.

• I hated the monthly membership fees and so too did those who were in the club.
• I also hated coming up with new content each month and surprisingly, members were complaining about not being able to consume it quickly enough.

So, I closed the association in January 2010 and went searching for a new model. I studied what others were doing, but nothing seemed to gel with my vision.

A popular online marketer launched a professional association and I joined because she billed it as “not another membership club.” But I soon realized that it was “just another membership club” and that she was simply using it to upsell to her high level programs.

Yuck! Not what I wanted to do.

It was at Andrea J. Lee’s first Wealthy Thought Leader workshop back in March 2010 that I finally discovered the model I wanted to create. As I furiously wrote down all my ideas, I finally felt a sense of peace as I reviewed the plan I put in place.

Quite simply – I wanted a model that put content creation in the hands of the community with small contributions from me.

It has taken 10 MONTHS – yes, almost a year to rebrand, retool and relaunch the association. I had to wait until 2 domain names expired and were sent to auction before I could make a move. Thankfully, with my friend Bill Sweetman’s help, I got www.virtualeventmanagers.com, the URL of the new association.

So, the new name is International Association of Virtual Event Managers (IAVEM) with a mission to expand the art and science of virtual event management to a global audience.

It’s a true professional association. It’s not an association masquerading as a membership club. It’s a professional association with a global mission.

So, what makes IAVEM different from AOVEM?

• Annual membership fees instead of monthly.
• Monthly huddles that put the focus on small mastermind groups instead of monthly expert interviews generated by me.
• A playbook that all new members get that’ll help them develop their virtual event management mindset (pictured right).
• A job bank where people can post their virtual event request for help. This takes the pressure off of me because right now, all request for help come to me and my burnt out virtual event management team.
• A directory where members can upload their resumes and be found by those wanting to hire virtual event help.
• And a point system that awards members for contributing articles and comment to the Virtual Event Management Knowledge Base (a fancy name for the blog).

Alright, so this is what you get by joining the association, but why bother? Why should you even care about IAVEM? Well, if you’re a:

• Virtual Assistant
• Virtual Event Specialist
• Online Business Manager
• Meeting Planner
• Human Resources Professional
• Project Manager
• Workshop Leader
• Trainer
• Or, if you’re a virtual event professional (in other words, you have hundreds of hours of virtual event management experience)

I’ll share with you in a follow up post the benefits of becoming a member.

I just released a 5-part video series teaching you how to refresh your next (or first) telesummit. Each video is about 10-minutes in length and here’s what you’ll learn:

• Why the telesummit model is flawed today even though they’re so popular.
• How hosting a telesummit in 2008 pulled me out of debt and what you can expect a telesummit to do for your own business.
• What Pat the watergirl taught me about refreshing my telesummit model.
• Why telesummits are just like dying plants and what you can do to rejuvenate them if you plan to host one.
• How to use the A.L.I.V.E. model to boost your business using a telesummit.
• Why a workshop trainer cancelled all classroom training after hosting a virtual summit.
• The refreshed strategy a leadership consultant used to earn 5-figures hosting a career virtual summit.
• How a burnt out therapist used a telesummit to earn almost 6-figures.
• How you can easily produce your own telesummit for financial, personal and professional success.

BTW, I’m hosting a 60-minute interactive preview call on Wednesday September 29, 2010 and only those on the list will get info on how to sign up for this preview call. So, click here to view the videos and get details about the preview call.

I just love the Fall. Always a sense of renewal. I have always seen the day after Labour Day as the first day of a new year.

As the kiddies head back to school, we as business owners need to sharpen our skills as well. Here are a few virtual and non-virtual events I recommend you check out and attend.

Creating Irresistible Presence – September 23, 24, 25, 2010 (Atlanta, GA)

I have watched my pal Sarah Robinson change brands and build a rabid fan base online. I was completely amazed that up to 100 people would comment on 1 blog post that she would publish on her blog. I always asked her how she did this and now, she’ll be teaching her strategies at her workshop this week in Atlanta. If you want to learn how to gain attention online without spending tons of money, Sarah is the gal to learn from. And if it’s any incentive, I’ll be there.

Wealthy Thought Leader – September 29 to October 2, 2010 (San Francisco, CA)

The uber smart, Andrea J. Lee, has developed what has been coined as “TED for Entrepreneurs.” I went to her first workshop back in March 2010 in Vancouver and not only is she doing it again, but she’s hosting v2 of the Wealthy Thought Leader in San Francisco.

What I love about Andrea’s event is the type of people who attend. They are risk takers, forward thinkers and people who are ready to take a bold stand.

For me, I invested $2,000 in getting to the workshop and made $12,000 in the 3-weeks after I got back to my office. This may not happen to you, but I can guarantee that if you attend Andrea’s event, you’ll make a personal, professional or financial breakthrough.

Website Creation Workshop – Weekly from September 27 to December 9, 2010 (virtual)

I know how freeing it can be to take control of your own web presence. Once I moved to a WordPress blog, I could create pages on my own effortlessly without having to be chained to a web master. Christina Hills is teaching a program where she’ll teach you step by step how to create your own website without the need of a webmaster. She’s hosting a free webinar on September 21, 2010 to take you through a few case studies. Click here to register.

Incredible Business Book Launch – October 4 to 29, 2010 (virtual)

One of my Virtual Event Managers, Lynn Pearce, is the person managing this virtual event. It’s for those of you who have books and want it to become a bestseller. You can listen in for free or choose from one of the upgrades so you can listen later on.

The links above are affiliate links. It means that if you click on the link above and buy something, I’ll get a commission for the referral. I only recommend the programs and services from people who I trust or who I’ve already purchased from. Of course, despite my referral, you must always do your own due diligence and research before purchasing anything online.

To date, no one has asked telesummit or virtual event hosts and organizers that uncomfortable question, which is:

“Did you make money with your virtual event and if so, what’s your return on investment?”

I know that this question makes ALOT of people squirm. When I wrote my first book, Podcasting for Profit, I interviewed just over 50 podcasters asking them how much they’re making with a podcast.

Although I included 50 voices in the book, there were quite a number of podcasters who refused my interview request. The reason? They just didn’t want to have the money conversation.

As I now focus on virtual events, it’s time that we have that money conversation.

And that’s where I need your help.

If you’ve ever organized or hosted a telesummit or multi-speaker virtual event, could you take just 7-minutes out of your day to fill in this survey?

It’s completely anonymous and given that I’m sending personal emails to telesummit hosts, I won’t know who filled it in or when. So, click here to get access to the survey. I’ll reveal the results in October.

Last week, I had a conversation with someone who’s organizing a virtual event. She wanted me to speak on the topic of using telesummits to build your list and I gladly agreed due to the quality of speakers and the refreshed format (I’m on that tip these days).

As I was choosing which open slot would suit my schedule, I couldn’t help but notice that out of the 10 speakers, only 2 are women (including yours truly). I made that observation out loud and the virtual event organizer let out an exasperated sigh.

“I know and it’s even worst with the non-virtual events we organize,” she said.

She then unleashed a number of reasons why women could not be found as speakers at non-virtual events. Everything from child care to fear of failing in front of a large audience were some of the reasons cited by the woman.

“It seems like when women reach a certain level of success, they stop supporting  each other,” she said. “If one woman is invited to speak and can’t make it, 9 times out of 10, she won’t suggest another woman who could.”

A similar situation happened to me…

[...]

I love telesummits. However, the current model is no longer working. When my friend, Milana Leshinsky, pioneered the telesummit format back in 2005 with her Coaching Telesummit, it was new, fresh and innovative.

Since then, many have gone on to create their own telesummits in various niches. Yet, as the years wore on, so did the telesummit novelty. Five years later, people are crying out for a refresh of the model that has become stale and tasteless.

Does this mean that telesummits no longer have a place? On the contrary! It’s still the BEST online marketing strategy to date. And over the past 12-months, I’ve worked on a dozen or so telesummits where my clients have pushed the envelope, changed the game and broke the rules.

While many are decrying the telesummit model, the telesummits my clients are hosting are:

• Standing out in the marketplace
• Helping them to share their mission with a worldwide audience in a cost effective way
• Allowing them to create more spare time in their calendar for fun
• Helping them attract the attention of movers and shakers in their niche so they can create profitable joint ventures
• Earning them mucho mucho dollars that supplement and skyrocket their income
• Making it easier for them to create their tribe online

If you’re open to learning how to make your next telesummit stand out, join me on Wednesday July 21, 2010 at 8pm Eastern where I’ll share some strategies with you.

I’m calling this audio training:

How to Remove the Stale Stench of Mediocrity from Your Next Telesummit So It Stands Out, Makes You Money, Frees Up Your Time for More Fun & Helps You Share Your Mission

With all this doom and gloom about the state of telesummits, don’t you deserve to find out what it takes to make yours more profitable? If so, click here to find out how you can get the call-in details for this audio training taking place on Wednesday July 21st at 8pm Eastern.

I look forward to hosting you on this engaging and interactive call.

A few days ago, I announced my upcoming complimentary teleclass taking place today, June 9, 2010 at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern called Why Won’t They Sign Up.

Just under 500 people are signed up for this call and there’s still room for more. I made some slight changes:

• I’m going to share 3 keys instead of 4. I was able to consolidate 2 of the keys into one. This gives me enough time to cover all 3 adequately so I’m not rushing through the keys.
• And, you’ll notice that I modified the title a bit to not only reflect heart-centered tips, but also give you some money making ones as well.

The one thing that hasn’t changed are what you’ll learn from this 75-minute session. Here’s what you’ll discover:

• Why GREAT CONTENT doesn’t fill telesummits or virtual events and what you should be using instead.
• The 3 C’s you MUST KNOW so you fill your telesummits and virtual events WITH EASE.
• The SIMPLE way to attract attention to your virtual event (this tool is so subtle & effective, you’ll kick yourself for not using it after you find out what it is).
• How to craft your virtual event pink spoon so you ATTRACT LEADS and get them to buy.
• How one woman used Leesa’s tips to INCREASE enrollment in her virtual event by 1600% (I’ll share with you what she did on this call)
• The old school marketing tactic you can no longer afford to ignore and how to use if EFFECTIVELY in today’s marketplace.
• What to include on your virtual event SALES PAGE so you don’t come across as being too “sale-sy”

To sign up for this complimentary call taking place June 9, 2010 at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern, click here to get the call-in details.

So, you planned a telesummit. You gave the speakers their affiliate URLs, you reminded your list about the upcoming event and you even wrote up a press release. Yet, after all that effort, only a handful of the expected hundreds actually registered to attend.

Or, you offered your entire telesummit for free and immediately after it was over, there was a mass exodus from your list. You’re dismayed that after delivering all that awesome content, you’re seeing 10-20 unsubscribes per week.

Oh, the weary life of a virtual event organizer. I know because I’ve been there. After thousands of hours of planning, producing and hosting virtual events, it can be a hit on your confidence when you have more speakers than attendees.

You must be wondering:

“Why won’t they sign up?”

That’s the question I’m going to answer on Wednesday June 9, 2010 at 8pm Eastern in a FREE 75-minute teleclass. Not only will I answer that question above, but you’ll also learn:

• Why GREAT CONTENT doesn’t fill telesummits or virtual events and what you should be using instead.
• The 4 C’s you MUST KNOW so you fill your telesummits and virtual events WITH EASE.
• The SIMPLE way to attract attention to your virtual event (this tool is so subtle & effective, you’ll kick yourself for not using it after you find out what it is).
• How to craft your virtual event pink spoon so you ATTRACT LEADS and get them to buy.
• How one woman used Leesa’s tips to INCREASE enrollment in her virtual event by 1600% (I’ll share with you what she did on this call)
• The old school marketing tactic you can no longer afford to ignore and how to use if EFFECTIVELY in today’s marketplace.
• What to include on your virtual event SALES PAGE so you don’t come across as being too “sale-sy”

If you’re ready to sign up, just enter your first name and email address below to get the call-in details. Even if you can’t attend the live session on Wednesday June 9, 2010 at 8pm Eastern, sign up anyways because only those on the list will get access to the recording.

If you need more details, click here to review the information page.