Virtual Event Success

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research came out with a study which asked exhibitors the promotional tools they find most effective in getting word out about their participation at a trade show.

To download the study, you’ll have to pay, however, Association Meetings did a nice job summarizing the findings. Exhibitors are now using social media and virtual events to drive people to their booths at trade shows.

Here are some of the numbers:

• Twenty-six percent of respondents use virtual events, while 23 percent use microblogs, like Twitter. These percentages are anticipated to rise to 31 percent and 30 percent, respectively, in three years.
• Roughly 41 percent of survey respondents say they use Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking websites for promotional purposes.
• Thirty-six percent use videos, and 34 percent use blogs, and this number will rise to 44% in 3-years.

Now, what stuck out for me what this line:

use other social networking websites for promotional purposes

Uh-oh. Be careful. If your sole purpose to splash your ads and spam people with your promotional message on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, then sadly, using these tools will be ineffective.

Interacting with people in social media is alot like attending a networking event. No one likes to be around “that guy” who only talks about himself and shows disinterest as soon as you open your mouth.

My message to exhibitors using social media simply for promoting their booth is to be unlike “that guy”. Show interest in who you’re interacting with and build rapport. Share interesting articles that will help that person solve their most pressing problem. Let your compassion and helpfulness drive people to your booth, not your selfish promo message.

I stumbled upon a survey conducted by On24 which surveyed 5000 marketing professionals. According to this survey, it appears that people’s attitudes are changing regarding virtual events.

Here are some of the findings:

• 63% of respondents more likely to attend conferences online than in person
• 74% said their companies are interested in virtual events to save money
• 50% said their companies are interested in virtual events to save time
• 82% said the green benefits of virtual events are important to their companies
• Almost 72% are equally confident communicating virtually; in fact, many respondents (15%) actually prefer virtual interaction
• 47% said they are more likely to ask a question at a virtual event
• 30% said they are more likely to chat with a salesperson in a virtual booth
• 28% said they are more likely to make connections through social networking at a virtual event than through in-person networking at a physical one

Why are people more enthusiastic about virtual events? Because they’re experiencing it for themselves. The findings in the survey above prove that once you experience a virtual event first hand, you’ll be more enthusiastic about them.

So, challenge yourself. If you haven’t attended a virtual event, find one. Then completely immerse yourself in the experience and let me know how things work out.

Have any of you attended virtual events in the past? If so, what was the experience like? Please leave your comments in the comments area below.

By way of Small Business Labs blog, I discovered that Unisfair published findings from a survey in which they asked 100 marketing professionals where they plan to spend money in 2010. Take a look at the chart below for some key findings:

Chart courtesy of MarketingCharts.com

Almost half surveyed said that they plan to do more with virtual events in order to generate leads and retain customers. I’m happy to this see that virtual events made it to the list as it shows that marketing professionals are more savvy about the marketing power of this strategy.

On the flip side, it is troubling that virtual events didn’t score higher. I echo Steve’s sentiment about this:

I was a bit surprised the use of virtual events didn’t score higher.  They are easy and cheap to do and can be very effective.  Lack of virtual event knowledge and experience seems to be the key barriers to increased use.

I love what Craig Cannings does over at VAClassroom and I’ve partnered with him on a few programs. I was just delighted to see his video on why virtual assistants should care about virtual events.

Here’s the video from Craig where he explains why virtual events matter and how virtual assistants can tap into this growing trend. Lots of valuable statistics as well.

To understand why virtual events are valuable, it’s important to know the benefits to hosting one. The links below will provide a mountain of reasons why your business must consider hosting a virtual event.

• Leesa Barnes on Recession Proof Your Business Hosting a Virtual Event, Part 1 & Recession Proof Your Business Hosting a Virtual Event, Part 2
• Rohit Bhargava on 6 Reasons Virtual Events Are Getting So Popular
• Simon U Ford on 10 Reasons Why Every Company Should Host Virtual Events
• Nicole Hammett on Virtual Events – Gaining the Virtual Edge
• Matt Kinsman on A Perfect Storm for Virtual Events: Social Networking and Slashed Travel Budgets Boost the Appeal
• Nancy Pekala and Brent Arslaner on Economy and Globalization Help Drive Success of Virtual Events
• CeCe Salomon-Lee on Industry Stats – Virtual Events Increasing

Homework: Write down 5 reasons it’ll be beneficial for your business to host a virtual event.

Did I miss a really great resource that fits the theme of this post? If so, leave the URL in the comments below so others can see it.

Every trainer, workshop leader and consultant knows that when companies are looking to reduce spending, the first thing they cut is learning and development. So, I wasn’t surprised to see the results from a online survey conducted by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) stating that companies are indeed cutting back.

Here are just a sample of the results:

• 49.7% of respondents said their company reduced travel of learners for training.
• 42.5% of respondents said their company reduced travel of instructors for training.

What’s even more interesting are the number of companies who are transitioning in-person training to the Internet. According to the same report:

• 27.5% of respondents said their company moved instructor-led courses to e-learning or web-based courses.

If companies are moving more of their training online, the same can be said of companies that host conferences and trade shows. As I pointed out in an earlier post, just over 80% of meeting planners see a need to add virtual events to their schedules due to a drop in travel.  This won’t change even as the economy picks up.

Hit tip to Virtual World News and Virtual Speak for blogging about this report.

I came across a fascinating report by VirtualEdge which found that due to travel restrictions and reductions in show budgets, more and more event producers are adding virtual events and virtual shows to their meeting schedules.

Here are some of the numbers:

• 67% of professionals responsible for traditional physical events report a drop in overall attendance.
• 74% of event producers are concerned about future attendance levels.
• 83% see the need to add virtual elements to their meetings and events.

If you’re an event planner or organizer and you’re feeling the pinch at your events due to low attendance or reduced budgets, you’re not alone. Consider complementing your in-person, face-to-face events with virtual ones so you don’t lose out.