Forum - March 2009

EXPERTEYE
Virtual Meetings & Conventions:
The Next Frontier for Associations

Brent Arslaner is vice president of marketing at Unisfair, which has powered more than 500 successful virtual events for corporations, media and publishing companies, event organizers and health care organizations.

BY BRENT ARSLANER

With the unsteady economic landscape, more organizations are spending less on travel. Fortunately, virtual event technology offers an alternative to mainstream association meetings and conventions.

WHAT ARE VIRTUAL EVENTS?

Today’s virtual events are multifaceted, user-friendly and highly interactive. They look and feel remarkably like their physical counterparts. Virtual environments deliver knowledge sharing and personal interactions through features such as:

• Live conference sessions: Keynotes, breakout sessions and panel discussions are delivered with real-time interaction.

• Exhibition floor: Sponsor and exhibitor booths offer collateral, product demos and live interaction between sponsors and visitors.

• Professional networking: Event attendees can upload, modify and publish their professional profiles within a virtual environment and connect with others who have similar business interests based on certain criteria.

• E-commerce: Virtual event organizers can generate additional revenue by charging admission to the event, to specific locations or for specific content/ presentations within the event, such as a keynote address.

• Multi-language events: Attendees can choose to experience a virtual environment in different languages.

These features are delivered via the
Internet with no special applications to

Today’s virtual events are

multifaceted, user-friendly

and highly interactive. They

look and feel remarkably like

their physical counterparts.

download and no new commands to learn. Using only their Web browsers, attendees click a link and simply navigate with a mouse.

WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO REPLACE OUR PHYSICAL EVENTS?

The virtual environment can cost-effectively extend the reach and impact of physical meetings and conventions.

Associations can use a virtual environment to promote in-person meetings and events before the actual meeting date. They can use virtual environments to distribute timely information about the physical event to members and encourage interaction and networking between attendees long before they meet in person.

Likewise, the virtual environment is useful after the in-person meeting by providing an ongoing community for members, prospective members and sponsors.

DEFINING THE BENEFITS

A virtual event often receives higher attendance by association members due to the lack of time commitment and costs required to attend physical events.

If you are augmenting a physical event, a virtual counterpart ensures those not in attendance at the live event still can gather information and network.

Similarly, they provide more frequent association interactions. Many organizations are turning to virtual events and environments to bring together members in between their annual physical events. Global reach also is extended.

And content is available for longer periods. After they “roll up the carpet” at a physical event, all of the content, presentations and handouts are gone, but with virtual events, information can be accessed on demand for an extended period.

And because in the virtual world the bulk of the attendee profile is collected ahead of time, when the person comes into a virtual booth the sponsor already knows who they are, the company they work for and their title. Sponsors receive records of all the collateral they collected, product demos they watched and transcripts of the conversations their booth reps had with attendees. This results in incredibly rich marketing data.

Sponsor, exhibitor and vendor support is critical for associations. The more value you can provide to them, the more value you receive in return.

BEST PRACTICES

Virtual events are not limited to tradeshows and marketing events. They also provide an interactive environment for training, meetings and job fairs. For example, the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society, an international member organization devoted to the health product regulatory profession, has leveraged virtual environments to connect members.

The association held two virtual job fairs in April and October 2008 and provided its members with access to qualified candidates, all without leaving their desks. Each event attracted roughly 500 candidates, with each one spending more than an hour on average in the environment.

THE BOTTOM LINE

While the current economy continues to present challenges, an emphasis on innovative technology combined with a willingness to try new approaches will create rewarding opportunities for associations and the members they serve.