Nearly two years have passed since I wrote my first blog article about Hybrid Events, on McCurry’s Corner.  Since that time I have written more than thirty articles on the subject.  I have also managed, at some level, around a dozen Hybrid meetings, and attended nearly as many, as a remote participant.

I am fascinated by the evolution of technology and development of “next practices” (rather than best practices) that follows it.  In the Hybrid meeting space, one of the innovations that has bubbled to the surface has been the use of Virtual Hosts. (or Virtual Emcees)

A Virtual Host Defined!

Photo by Reflections Photography and courtesy of Meeting Professionals International (MPI)

For those of you not familiar with this term, a virtual host is an individual who’s job is to address the remote, or virtual audience at a Hybrid event.  Their ongoing mission is to engage remote participants, creating opportunities for them to interact with presenters and f2f attendees.

Interestingly, the use of virtual hosts/emcees is so new there is no entry in Wikipedia addressing the topic.  (Perhaps I should start one) 

Picking the right person to be your event’s virtual host is as important as the concept itself.  Two people who come to mind immediately, when I think about this subject, are Emilie Barta and Glenn Thayer.  They are both talented people, with a passion for broadcast video work.  And… they both light up the camera!

Emilie and Glenn are pioneers in the “Hybrid Events” world.  They each have their own unique, but equally effective style of doing their job. I asked Emilie and Glenn to share their thoughts on the value of a Virtual Host/Emcee.  Here’s what they had to say:

Emilie Barta — “The most important function of a virtual emcee is to be a conduit for the virtual audience and allow them to not only share in the experience, but to have an experience that is all their own.  You (Event Professionals) have a responsibility to your virtual audience, especially if you are charging them admission.

Virtual audiences pay attention to how they are treated, and are quick to point out if they are being ignored or taken for granted.  BUT if you have a virtual emcee who is always at attention, who is never scripted, and who goes out of their way to make the virtual audience feel welcomed, taken care of, and actively engaged in your hybrid event…you will have a virtual audience who increases the success of your event through word-of-mouth and social-media-sharing.”

Glenn Thayer — “A virtual host is the person that links the remote audience to the event itself. Not only does the virtual host relay information and report on happenings at the on-site event, they also act as the “voice” of the remote audience, asking questions and interacting with presenters and face to face participants on their behalf.”

Whether you refer to these professionals as virtual hosts or emcees is your choice.  What’s most important is their expertise will add significant value and depth to your next hybrid event.  Here’s why:

3 Reasons to Hire a Virtual Host

Engagement, Engagement, Engagement — One of the most difficult aspects of successfully executing a hybrid event is to continuously engage the remote (virtual) audience. If the right host is hired they will relentlessly work for you to accomplish that goal.

Get the F2F Audience & Presenters Involved — Before and after sessions, as well as during breaks, your virtual host may interview attendees and speakers.  They will facilitate a conversation with remote participants, interspersing their own journalistic perspective into the dialogue.

The Voice of the Virtual Attendee — During sessions, using Twitter and/or the live streaming platform your host will field comments and questions from the remote participants and share them with the f2f audience and presenter(s).

If your organization has taken the plunge into the hybrid meetings realm, you really should strongly consider adding a virtual host/emcee to the program.  While this support is going to impact your meeting budget, it is money well spent as the payoff will be attendee satisfaction and new customers.

Attendees will appreciate and remember your organization’s thoughtful approach to event design.  More importantly many of them will attend your next year’s conference in the flesh as a result of your great work!

Question:  If you are already utilizing a virtual host for your event, what are some other reasons you would recommend their use to other event professionals?  Please share with us!

Yesterday I read a really interesting blog post written by Dennis Shiao.  In his article, entitled “A Virtual Blog Posting” Dennis raises the question of whether the term “virtual” is really the best way to describe what is really a “digital” event.

According to Wikipedia, the term “virtual” implies “that which is not real” or is used to mean almost, particularly when used in the adverbial form e.g. “That’s virtually [almost] impossible.”

Based upon those definitions I really believe Dennis is on to something.  In my world, I have actually avoided using the word “virtual” for some time when referring to digital, or online event experiences, as the term leaves me cold.

Conference Participants:  Who Are We Anyways?

Ask yourself this question;  if you are attending a conference remotely do you appreciate being referred to as a virtual (almost real) attendee or a remote (online) participant?  The term “live attendee,” when referring to a face2face participant, also bothers me.  Where does that leave their remote counterparts? (“dead” attendees??)  As an event organizer it is my hope that all participants at my events are “live.”

These days, it is more difficult to differentiate between who is online, and who is face2face at conferences.  For example, in a Twitter back-channel conversation, which is becoming commonplace at conferences, it is literally impossible to discern the difference.

Remote participants are oftentimes contributing as much (or even more) to the conversations occurring at conferences, as their face2face colleagues.  Of course face2face attendees have an edge at cocktail parties and other “on-premise only” networking events.  

Meeting Attendees:  It’s About My Experience, Not My Location!

As the inclusion of digital attendees continues to gain broader acceptance in the face2face meetings arena, the lines distinguishing between face2face and remote participants will fade.  I firmly believe Event organizers will no longer care, other than planning for logistics, on whether an attendee is physically located at the event, or attending through online digital channels.

The most important focus, for planners, will be on creating memorable conference experiences fostering quality conversations, collaborative learning experiences, and productive brainstorming sessions. Technology will be the bridge to ensure this happens seamlessly, amongst all attendees, whether they are participating remotely, or face2face.

Most of us agree the ideal way to connect with other people is still via traditional face2face encounters.  Reality is face2face participation at an event is not always a viable option for all prospective attendees.  With the growth and improvement of technology it is now feasible to have a value-rich conference experience as a remote or “digital” attendee.  A whole lot of learning and business is getting done that way!

Question:  How do you see the future of events evolving?  What are your thoughts on how online and face2face channels will continue to blend together?  Please  your comments.

Have you ever lived someplace that you were so passionate about you would relentlessly defend your right to reside there?  Possibly some people around you may not see or understand the value of your chosen community the same way you do.  These naysayers may do their best to discourage you from living there, because they perceive it doesn’t suit them.  Sound familiar, or not?

By now you may have guessed I am not speaking of the house in which I live, or the neighborhood it sits in.  I am talking about a community of interest… A gathering of like-minded people with similar passions.  Folks, in my world that place is EventCamp.

A community of interest is a community of people who share a common interest or passion… Participation in a community of interest can be compelling, entertaining and create a ‘sticky’ community where people return frequently and remain for extended periods. Frequently, they cannot be easily defined by a particular geographical area.  — Wikipedia

So what is it about EventCamp that has captured so much of my interest and attention?  What unique characteristics of this splendid community have instilled in my soul, a spirit of unwavering support?  Here are some thoughts…

5 Reasons Why EventCamp Rocks!

Reason #1:  Innovation Lab — Each and every EventCamp conference has its own unique personality and flavor.  Consistently, attendees share with one another new ideas, or concepts, in a trusting environment of experimentation.  While organizers, presenters and attendees strive for excellence alike, we collectively embrace failures as part of the path leading to success.  The learning lessons that emerge from each event are usually amazing and sometimes game-changing.

Reason #2:  Social Technology Mecca — In my mind EventCamp is a central place, for event professionals to learn about social media, and it’s evolving role in the business world.  Our community has been fortunate to feature presenters, across the four EventCamp conferences that have taken place thus far, that are among the most respected individuals in the New Media business.  Many meetings and events industry organizations are watching our events closely, and have actually introduced components to their events, modeled after ideas expressed, or tested at EventCamp.

Reason #3:  Thought Leader’s Haven — EventCamps are a safe place for attendees to exchange ideas, collaborate and share opinions regarding common topics of interest.  Our events take place in a relaxed, creative environment, with no rules or expectations, other than open, honest and respectful communication.

Reason #4:  Quality People Attend — Through EventCamp I have met some of the most amazingly wonderful and smart people in my entire career.  Clearly, there exists a spirit of generous and unselfish collaboration across the community.  I cherish these new relationships, and as with anything great, I crave more of them!

Reason #5:  Personal Growth — There is no question my approach towards doing business has shifted, and my life has been positively impacted as a result of my experiences with EventCamp.  From the relationships I have developed through the EventCamp community, I have learned a great deal, both personally and professionally.  In several cases these initial contacts have evolved into lifelong friendships which I will cherish forever.

I am personally very excited about what the next year will bring to the EventCamp community.  I hope you are too!  If you haven’t attended an EventCamp conference as of yet, you really need to take the plunge.  It will be well worth your time.

I look forward to revisiting with  you, next year (2012), at about this time, on all the innovations that will inevitably occur between now and then in our community.

Question:  Do these ideas resonate with you?  If you have attended an EventCamp, what are your impressions?  What could be better?  If you have not attended one of these events, why not?

This post was featured in the recent Ebook, entitled “What’s Next in Events,” published by Lara McCulloch. (aka in Twitter as @ready2spark)  I am honored to have been selected, by her to participate in that collaboration.

With the arrival of the New Year, meetings and events professionals are optimistic about the future of their businesses.  Events industry analysts are collectively predicting a noticeable improvement, in the economy, for 2011.  They expect even better in 2012.  That is certainly encouraging!

Realistically, for now, the economy is still in “recovery mode.”  As was the case in 2009 and 2010, many businesses are exercising caution with their finances.  Subsequently business travel and education expense are still under a watchful eye.

With reduced budgets employees are, in some cases, competing with one another for company funds, making it nearly impossible for everyone that should attend conferences, and events, to do so.  Those fortunate enough to get their travel expenses approved must work hard to convince management there will be a viable return on their travel investment.

Even with improved economic conditions, there remains an education void for many event professionals, with fewer travel dollars to spend.  So, how do we fix this problem?

Hybrid Events May Be the Best Solution for Your Event in 2011?

Image courtesy of Janet Rudolph

In late 2009/ early 2010 hybrid events emerged as an affordable, viable alternative event solution of interest for many meeting organizers.  For context, a hybrid event is one in which organizers provide customers (potential attendees) the option of remote access to all, or a portion of the conference content, utilizing some or several forms of social technology.

In 2010 several major meetings industry associations (i.e. PCMA, MPI) successfully introduced Hybrid components into their events.  In fact these organizations are now featuring education sessions, at their 2011 conferences, to teach attendees about the advantages and “best practices” for use of hybrid technology.

Over the past couple of years I have participated in numerous hybrid events, either as a remote attendee, or as an organizer.  On both sides of the ball I have learned a remote participant experience does not replace its face2face counterpart.   However, if executed properly, in the right context, a hybrid event can serve a very functional purpose.

The Litmus Test – Why Create a Hybrid Event?

If you are wondering whether a hybrid event makes sense for your organization, then ask yourself the following questions:

• Are there customers or prospects that will most likely not be able to attend your organization’s conference due to their own financial, geographic or scheduling constraints?
• Are there potential customers you could reach, through online access, that otherwise would not be accessible?
• Are you interested in exceeding your customer’s expectations, by offering them conference access options that meet their needs, in a difficult economy?

If your answer is yes to any of these questions, then you need to strongly consider introducing hybrid components to your 2011 event.

The Hybrid events world is the new frontier of the conference business.  Since the technology and processes are so new, there are not a lot of rules, and only a handful of best practices to follow, as of yet.  However, the quality of these events is accelerating.  It is fair to say new enhancements will bubble to the surface in 2011.

In a shaky economy, and with many quality online education alternatives available to business people, organizations can no longer rely upon their past successes with traditional conference design to attract attendees.  In this social technology era, folks have more online options available to them than ever, to address their education goals.

Organizations can certainly choose to ignore these competing online education channels, at their own peril.  A smarter approach may be to jump on the hybrid event “bandwagon” meeting the competition head-on.

There may be an opportunity for your organization to strengthen its relationships with customers by offering them innovative hybrid conference solutions that will meet their unique needs during this economic recovery.  The payoff, for your thoughtful approach will be their extended loyalty towards your conference and organization far into the future.

There seems to be a lot of conversation lately about the best approach for producing Hybrid Events.  Many event professionals want to know what the magic formula is for budgeting them.  Truth is there is no one specific answer.  There are just too many variables.

Organizations hold meetings and conferences for different reasons.  Some choose to add hybrid events, with specific objectives in mind.  Adding to the dynamic are customer needs and expectations which vary, from event to event, and funding sources, which can be distinctly different as well.  The real key to identifying the best approach for a hybrid event is to become strategic about planning it.

Strategic Best Practices for Hybrid Events

Here are some issues to consider:

Strategic Issue 1:  What is the desired hybrid event experience you wish to provide to your customers? Looking at it another way, why are you holding this/these event(s)?

• to provide an alternative for customers unable to attend face2face, due to expense or time constraints?
• to demonstrate your organization’s technology prowess and thought leadership?
• to showcase (new and existing) products and services to potential buyers and/or existing customers?
• to grow your attendee-base by introducing hybrid components to prospects, extending your market reach and stimulating interest in the face2face event?

Strategic Issue 2:  What are you funding resources?

• How much capital do you have available to spend?
• Can event registration fees be increased to offset hybrid event production expenses?
• Are there potential sponsors available, either financial, or in-kind, to help offset costs?

Strategic Issue 3:  How important is production quality and which pieces matter most? Answering these questions will help you identify your equipment and labor requirements.

• Does Video need to be ‘HD’ quality or will a less expensive feed from a Flip camera suffice?  (or somewhere in between) This helps to identify camera and lighting requirements.
• Is it important for audience interaction to be captured on video?  Or will audio support only be acceptable? Enables you to identify # of camera’s, camera operators and related hardware support.
• Will sound be broadcast only from presenter(s) or will there be audience interaction, such as Q&A?  Determines number and type of microphones needed, soundboard, operator, microphone runners, etc.
• Is multi-directional webcasting required?  If so, will both audio and video be delivered in that manner, or in what combination? identifies scope and complexity of broadcast, off-site coordination support, additional equipment/labor, and Internet Connections.
• Do  you want to keep customers engaged during breaks and between sessions?   Drives a decision on whether to engage the services of a “virtual emcee” (Suggested!) or not.

Credible Business Partners Make a Difference

I highly recommend engaging the assistance of a reputable audio visual company to help you identify what is needed and at what cost.  One critical element to a positive Hybrid event experience is to retain the services of a professional hybrid event producer, if you do not have that expertise available in-house.  A show producer will ensure that you don’t forget about any of the important planning pieces for a successful event.  They will also help you shape the strategic direction of the event.

Addressing these strategic issues with your events team, will lead to a more focused plan for budgeting and implementation of the hybrid event.  Should you find you are not able to generate the financial resources to accommodate your desired event experience outcome, you may need to re-evaluate the scope of the event or find alternative funding sources.

Question:  What have I missed here?  In your hybrid event planning experience, what strategic challenges have you faced and how did you adjust to improve the next planning cycle?  Please share!

In the Meetings and Conferences business 2010 has been touted by many as the year of Hybrid Events.  Most event professionals now understand the value of providing remote participation alternatives to their customers.  A tough economy, increased competition, and affordable, yet sophisticated technology has driven that point home.

In the future it will not be sufficient to just offer hybrid components at meetings and conferences, as many organizations are already doing that.  The next challenge, for event organizers,  is to refine the quality of their hybrid events.    Organizers will need to find ways to distinguish their events, from others,  in order to rise above their competitors.  Here are some thoughts on how to accomplish that:

Perfecting the Attendee Experience

Professionalize  Video Webcasts — Pointing a camera at a speaker and then letting the webcast flow is not very engaging, by itself, for most remote attendees.  Unless the presenter is really skilled at capturing an audience’s attention, they will eventually lose their attention.  A well thought out video production can help to prevent that challenge.

• A skilled camera operator offering Pan shots across the audience will mix things up a bit for remote attendees.   Often they will recognize at least some of the face2face attendees, which adds an element of excitement.  This type of camera coverage also captures audience reaction to the presentation, which adds dramatic appeal to the event.
• Enhanced lighting significantly improves the quality of the video experience.  Even the best meeting rooms do not provide optimal lighting for camera work.  Even a couple of light trees, at minimal expense, will do the trick.

The Pre Event Show — Utilizing a virtual emcee, organizations can treat their remote attendees to a pre-event show, teeing up the event, just for them.  This added touch will make them feel special, and connected to the event.  A perfect example of this was the recent EventCamp Twin Cities Conference, which featured this type of activity.  It added a lot of flavor to the experience.  Click here to access the free replay of the program webcast.

Emilie Barta, Virtual Emcee

Post Event Interviews — At the Event’s conclusion, it is really effective to interview the presenter and/or the face2face attendees, on camera, using the already-referenced virtual emcee.  Integrating Twitter (using a Hashtag reference), or the webcast  chat platform  attendees can ask questions of the presenter.  Interviewed attendees may offer their insights and reactions to the event experience as well.

Select the Right Webcast Provider — Event professionals must research and select a webcast supplier that provides a highly functional and pleasant webcast experience, for remote attendees.  A platform containing side-by side live camera and a/v support (i.e slides) with adjustable window sizes, is optimal.

One thing is for certain … Hybrid components have become much more than bolt-on features to today’s meetings and conferences.  They have become essential.  A professionally managed technology plan will ensure  interactivity between remote and face2face attendees is seamless, adding significant excitement to most events.

After all human beings like to network with one another and when you give them an event that easily supports interaction, whether it is virtual or face2face, or both, they will embrace it.

Question:  What enhancements have you added to your organization’s hybrid events?  What difference did it make to the impact on your attendees?  What do you see changing in the future?

On Monday I participated in a conversation regarding Hybrid Events and the future of the  back-channel conversation realm.  Subsequently, the question running through my head is, moving forward,  how will all the different social channels meld together into one big conversation, in the context of a hybrid event, so that all participants can truly connect with one another?  Are you with me?

Why is a Global Chat Application Needed?

Here is the challenge:

• Presently the majority of chat conversations occurring in tandem with a live webcast take place in Twitter.  (Sorry no stats, but it dominates)  Twitter is currently the most viable chat solution for hybrid events.
• A significant percentage of event attendees are still not Twitter users, although they may be using other social networks, such as Facebook or LinkedIn.
• Some, but not all webcast providers do have a chat client built into their software platform .  The problem, even with those that do, is the messages posted there are static.  They do not show up in the social networks users utilize.  So, simply put, the viral impact of the messaging is lost.
• External Twitter clients, such as Tweetdeck, allow users to post messages into multiple social networks simultaneously.  While that is possible, it does not result in much real-time conversation, as facebook, and especially LinkedIn discussions are slow and clunky.
• Non-Twitter webcast participants have no efficient way to engage in a parallel conversation with event attendees who are Twitter users.

Contribute to the Solution

Hmmm… so what is the solution?  Great question, and not one I have the answer for.  So, instead I am putting this question out there for the #eventprofs community to consider.  This is an issue that is not going to be solved easily and the more brain power we leverage, the more potent the solution.

I created a Google Moderator site for the purpose of capturing everyone’s ideas.  For context Google Moderator is a collaboration tool that allows users to share ideas and view/vote on them in real-time.   Please visit the Google site and share your opinion.  All ideas are welcome!

My plan is to post a follow-up blog post sharing the feedback received from this experiment in collaboration.  Thanks in advance for your participation!

I have been blessed with meeting and befriending some outstanding people, as a result of my nearly two-year social media journey.  There is not enough space,  in one blog post, to list all of these wonderful folks, or explain why I am honored to know them.  However, this article has been inspired by one of those special connections.

Steve Farber -- Extreme Leader

Last May, I attended a conference, in Chicago, Called SobCon.  For anyone with an interest in business strategy, online or otherwise, this annual event is excellent.  One of my richest takeaways from attending SobCon was the high quality of the people I met.  One of those individuals is Steve Farber!

I felt an instant connection with Steve.  He is a genuinely likable person.  He is a business thought leader and a gifted public speaker.   Oh, and did I mention he is the author of three excellent books, which I have read, and highly recommend.  Without giving away his leadership message completely Steve’s passion is to help make other people around him greater than himself.  That unselfish approach to life is pretty intriguing, don’t you think?

“I could listen to Steve Farber speak over and over. I learn something from him every time he talks. He’s a hero and a leader.” – Liz Strauss, Co-Founder of SobCon

A Radical Leap to Extreme Leadership

I was so impressed with Mr. Farber’s presentation style, and message, at SobCon, that I recommended Steve as a presenter to the Greater Midwest Chapter of PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) for this week’s  September Education event.  Fortunately, he accepted our invitation and will be presenting to approximately 400 event professionals on Thursday, September 23, 2010, from 9am to 10:30am, at the Willis Tower, Metropolitan Club. (formerly Sears Tower)  The topic is “LEAP: Extreme Leadership and Beyond.”

GMC PCMA Offers Free Live Webcast — 9/23/2010

GMC PCMA is offering the events community a free live video webcast access to the event.  How exciting!  To register for the event please click here.  The webcast, produced by Pulse Staging and Events, will utilize the Sonic Foundry webcast platform.  Technology support will be provided by Directions AV.

Many thanks to these outstanding supplier partners for donating their time, equipment and services:

Live Webcast Pod Locations

As an added bonus, Attendees also have the option of viewing the webcast at one of GMC PCMA’s webcast “pod” locations.  These  Webcast Pod Location sponsors are graciously donating space and a light breakfast for attendees in their area to come together and view the presentation among industry peers.  The Pod Locations are:

Atlanta, GA
Courtesy of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau
233 Peachtree Street NE, Ste. 1400
Atlanta, GA 30303

Milwaukee, WI
Courtesy of Visit Milwaukee
WE Energies Building
231 West Michigan Street, P421
Milwaukee, WI 53203

Minneapolis, MN
Courtesy of Meet Minneapolis
Minneapolis Convention Center
1301 Second Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN

Nashville, TN
Courtesy of Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau
150 Fourth Avenue
Nashville, TN

Don’t miss out on this event, as it promises to be value rich.  In addition to the webcast the event will be marked by the Twitter Hashtag “#GMCPCMA.”  Please join the conversation.  I look forward to taking the “Radical Leap” with you!

Have you heard about “EventCamp”?  If you are an event professional, and you aren’t familiar with this series of conferences,  you need to check them out.  In short, EventCamp is a “BarCamp style” conference.

It’s premise is to bring together like-minded event professionals, with an interest in social technology and innovative conferences, to share best practices, learn new strategies and experiment with new ideas and concepts.  It is clearly a learning lab.  More important, it is an amazing community!

Some EventCamp History

The Start-up 2010 EventCamp National Conference, of which I was a co-creator, along with Christina Coster, Jessica Levin, Jeff Hurt and Mike McAllen,  took place this past February, in New York City, at the Roger Smith Hotel.  To view details of that event please read my recap blog post. Inspired by the wild success of the NYC event, the above team formed EventCamp Headquarters.

One of our goals with adding structure to the EventCamp community was to provide support for other folks in the events community to hold their own local and regional EventCamp conferences, while we continue to sustain an Annual EventCamp Conference, year to year.

EventCamp Twin Cities Leads the Charge!

The first of these regional/local conferences, EventCamp Twin Cities, (#ECTC10 on Twitter) was held last week in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.  Unfortunately I was not able to attend ECTC10 face2face, but instead participated remotely, by webcast and Twitter.  As it turns out being a remote attendee was a very effective and enjoyable experience.

I was really excited about this event, to see what new paths it would explore.  I wasn’t disappointed.  The organizing team for ECTC10, led by Samuel J. Smith and Ray Hansen, created a fabulous conference.  During the pre-event marketing process, Sam and Ray skillfully managed to build significant excitement and interest in the conference.  Their value proposition to attendees, and sponsors alike, was ambitious and “outside the box” in its scope. And, in my opinion (and many others) … the event delivered exactly what it promised, and more.

Hybrid Event HomeRun

While there were many highlights to ECTC10 I am most impressed with how the organizing team embraced and engaged the remote audience.  Arguably the most challenging aspect of hybrid events is keeping the remote audience focused and engaged in the activities taking place.  Here are 4 reasons why the hybrid component of this event worked so effectively:

Reason #1:  Virtual Studio with Emcee — the concept of utilizing a virtual emcee with hybrid events is one of my favorites.  In particular Emilie Barta does an “off the chart” excellent job of handling this important work.  Please check out the conference archives for examples of her work.  She would be a great addition to any Hybrid program.

Emilie Barta, Virtual Emcee

ECTC10 Organizer Sam Smith w. Emilie Barta

In addition to teeing up the individual sessions with a “preview show” for remote attendees, Emilie featured interviews with presenters, sponsors and face2face attendees during the breaks.  She also assisted remote attendees with some of the small group exercises (see below) by being the virtual point of contact for those sessions.

An enhancement to the virtual emcee process was the creation of the virtual studio, which enriched the quality of the interactions.  Using professional lighting and decor strategically ECTC10 created an optimal studio environment for Emilie to heighten the virtual emcee experience.

Reason #2:  Google Moderator — the ECTC10 team cleverly used this online collaboration tool as a bridge for remote and face2face attendees to brainstorm ideas and solutions to hot events business topics.  It really was a terrific value-add and made the whole process seamless.

Reason #3:  Remote Pods Multi-Directional (audio and video) webcast — ECTC10 partnered with Intefy and Sonic Foundry to provide Two (2) remote pods of attendees in Dallas, TX and in Basel, Switzerland.  Remote participants at these locations could be seen as well as heard on screen with all attendees via live webcast.  This concept was terrific and although it was not perfect in actual operation, it still added significant value, and an additional dimension, to the event.

Reason #4:  Speakers Connected with Remote Audience — Across the board, Presenters all engaged the remote participants as much as they engaged the face2face attendees.  It made a large positive difference in the event experience for remote attendees.

The bottom line, folks, is EventCamp Conferences are as much about people and real connections, as they are the technology.  The significant impact of these events is facilitated by the one-two punch of the already-established personal connections within the EventCamp community combined with the delivery of a well thought out event.

Congratulations to the ECTC10 team for a great effort.  We are all proud of you!

I am really excited about the next chapter in the EventCamp series, the EventCamp East Coast, taking place in November, in Philadelphia, PA.  Hope to see you there, either virtually or face2face!

Earlier this week I published an article about my anticipated experience as an Avatar at the MPI (Meeting Professionals International) WEC virtual conference center.  Admittedly, I was quite excited, and full of optimism, about this new twist to a hybrid event.  So now, the question is, did the experience live up to it’s expectations?  Is there real potential value to an event like this?  What were the learning lessons?

Tech Challenges Diminish Quality

First, the technical side of this experience was a significant challenge.  On Sunday, due to bandwidth issues, it was literally impossible to watch the majority of the webcast, as the stream continuously dropped.  For Tuesday’s version, the experience was better, although there were still some issues, particularly at the beginning of the session.  Technical Experience Grade:  C-

A Constructive View of the Attendee Experience

What value was generated for virtual attendees? I am struggling with this.  While there is the cool factor to a virtual world, I am not sure what value this experience delivered, if any, to attendees.  On both days I logged onto the conference center, conversed with a  few people, and then sat down on a virtual couch to watch the webcast.  During the actual sessions there did not seem to be a lot of interest, amongst the avatars present, to sustain a conversation.  Kind of pointless, if you ask me.

Put into perspective, I could have achieved comparable or greater value by accessing the webcast through MPI’s site directly, and then participate in the Twitter back channel conversation occurring via the hashtag “#WEC11″.

Voice Enabled, but Silent. Fusion Productions did offer a voice feature in the virtual area, which they asked everyone to mute during the webcast (understandably).  The funny (or not so funny) part is that hardly anyone used the voice component.  I personally tested it out  (quality was excellent) and had a couple of brief conversations with other avatars, including the Fusion Productions Manager, Julie Mckown.

Three Hours of Programming??? Seriously, this one really stumps me.  MPI, Fusion Productions, Assemblive and Clever Zebra went to all the time and expense of providing this Virtual venue, yet only offered two 90-minute “lecture-based” sessions with virtual access, over a four day period.   I realize this was an experiment, but I think a more strategic look at programming may have produced better results.

Where is the Attendee Interaction?

Attendee Engagement is the Name of the Game! I have been an active participant in other virtual worlds, namely Second Life, for several years.  In fact, as a musician, and DJ, I do virtual gigs at Second Life Night Clubs.  Second Life users love these experiences because they are engaging.

While a musician plays music live, people socialize in the back channel, much akin to a Twitter hashtag conversation.  Between songs, the musician chats with them.  That is a winning formula that sustains Second Life, as their live music scene is one of their greatest success stories.  Headline Entertainers such as U2 have performed very successfully in this virtual world.

Second Life Live Music Scene

The problem I see with the MPI virtual conference center scenario, is there was very little opportunity for attendee engagement. The environment was oddly cold, and sterile.  Some touches such as background music, or even an advance promotional commentary by someone, to get virtual attendees fired up, would have made a difference.

The two sessions featured were “talking head” style sessions.  So, there was very little opportunity for audience participation.  There was a “typed chat” interface, which could have generated conversation similar to a Twitter back channel, but for some reason it was used sparingly.

While access to the virtual world was offered 24/7 there was no compelling reason for attendees to return there.  There simply was not enough excitement to draw them back.

What Scenarios Are More Conducive to Virtual Environments?

I believe that a virtual conference center could be useful in certain contexts.  The solution begins with INTERACTION! Since realistically virtual attendees are not face2face, highly interactive sessions must be featured.  Here are some examples:

“Talk Show” Style Event — At the TS2 (Total Solutions Marketing) Show, which took place in Boston earlier in July, there was a wonderfully creative  hybrid event produced by The Expo Group, Digitell and Emilie Barta.  For more information on that event please read my article, or there is also another excellent recap by Emilie.

I could see some real potential to utilizing a virtual interface with this style of event as it was highly interactive.  It could even be structured such that the Interviewing Anchor (that was Emilie) could field questions on “voice” from the virtual audience, in addition to the face2face attendees.

Brainstorm Sessions — With the voice feature it is possible to have localized, or private chats.  So… the large group could be divided into small groups to focus on strategic issues, and have a lively “voice” conversation, to develop solutions.  Then the group could come back together to share those solutions with the entire group.  This could be bridged with a face2face audience utilizing a Twitter interface.

Open Space Sessions — In the three virtual conference areas there was a feature where attendees could upload a powerpoint or video presentation to the virtual screen.  So, theoretically time slots could be scheduled where virtual participants could design their own conference content, on the fly.  This could be quite engaging, and also could be connected to the face2face attendees via Twitter.

While MPI may not have succeeded in delivering a stellar hybrid  event, with their virtual conference center, they did provide an experience, for event professionals to learn from, and plan for the future.   To answer the question posed in this article’s title, the value of this event was in it’s learning lessons.  That’s a pretty good start!

Question:  In your mind’s eye, what do you see as being a potential way to leverage a virtual conference center experience to deliver unique value to your event(s)?  Please share your thoughts.