Take Up the Challenge: Open the Kimono on Virtual Event Data

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by alpa auer via flickr

A recent discussion on The Virtual Events & Meeting Technology group on LinkedIn (must join to see the thread) caught my attention recently. It asked what the “highest recorded attendance figure” was for a virtual exhibition.

Unfortunately, many numbers cited in case studies or media articles are all self-reporter. My concern is the use of self-reported numbers doesn’t help our industry. By focusing on the largest number of registrants and attendees, highest number of leads per exhibitor, or longest time spent within the event, the conversation centers around who has the biggest and largest event.

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Five Tips for Making Your Events More Mobile

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by csaila via flickr

In lieu of a PRMM Interview this week, I’m sharing these top five ways to make your events more mobile.

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Getting Noticed by Industry Analysts

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By Litandmore via Flickr

There was a recent discussion on Focus regarding how start-up companies can get noticed by Gartner analysts. One misconception is that you have to be a paid customer of the top analyst firms – Gartner, Forrester, Altimeter, etc. – in order to meet and brief analysts about your company. In addition to my response to the question, I’m including an overview of what you should do before, during and after a briefing.

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Digital Events Graduates to Next Level

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by jeco via flickr

At the end of February, the Virtual Edge Institute (VEI) announced a new certification program for digital event strategists (Disclosure: I do some consulting for  VEI). While webinars and webcasts are an integral part of the marketing mix, digital events are fairly new for marketers and event practitioners. Besides those who experiment with the new medium, there are not many professionals experienced planning, building and implementing virtual events.

The timing of this new program is just another indicator of the momentum that virtual environments is gaining within organizations – both as a marketing tool and for event marketers. Until now, one of the main obstacles for organizations is to find and employ people with the appropriate expertise to manage virtual event programs. By training people on the ins and outs of digital events, this will further spur the growth within this industry. Here are a couple of responses to date:

Jessica L. Levin, Seven Degrees Communications, “I really like this idea. I think this is an area that is new, technical and requires a lot of education.  I love that they use  ‘Strategist’ in the designation. This tells me that the learning goes beyond mechanics and it a deeper, higher-level approach. All certifications should be taken with a grain of salt, but I appreciate the opportunity to get some formal education.”

Todd Hanson, ROI of Engagement, Catalyst Performance Group, “This is going to be an excellent thing for the industry! I applaud the efforts.”

What do you think? Leave your thoughts below.

PRMM Interview Episode #17: Donna Sanford and Content Marketing

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In this episode of PRMM Interview (http://www.prmeetsmarketing.com), Donna Sanford, president of Sanford Project Partners, discusses how marketers can leverage content more strategically. Topics we discussed include: content for marketing, tips for marketers, rising above the marketing noise and content curation.

Rise of the Infographic

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The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words”underscores how a single image can communicate complex ideas. In my RSS feed, I’ve noticed an increase in infographics used for a variety of topics from mobile usage to social media stats. And in the work I’ve been doing for Virtual Edge Institute, we’ve created a couple of infographics as well.

While I envision more and more PR/marketing practitioners to use infographics, I would recommend limiting their use to summarizing key figures or information of interest to your audience. Here are a few of my favorite infographics:

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Virtual Event Vendor Checklist: Integration with Social Media

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via Flickr by Karen Eliot

There has been an interesting discussion on Focus regarding the role of social integration within the virtual platforms. As social media and networking is an integral part of an overal virtual events strategy, including marketing, audience engagement, and event promotion, I wanted to higlight some of the key points mentioned that should be part of your checklist.

Note: Unless indicated, comments are based on my experience going into various platforms and are not indicative of any one platform’s pros/cons:

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