To date, I [...]]]>

Its amazing, in this new world of robust online technology, just how much there is to learn.  Over the past  year, I have personally spent quite a bit of time investigating the “ins and outs” of creating and producing online events, such as webinars and webcasts.  It has been a rich educational experience.

To date, I have been involved, in various capacities, with a half dozen webinars.  Through experimentation with these events I discovered I have a natural ability as a facilitator, or moderator to lead panel style presentations.  Over time I am becoming more and more comfortable in this arena, although I still have much to learn.

This week I participated, as both a facilitator, and panelist, in a webinar, hosted by PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association).  Our presentation was entitled “Engaging Attendees Today:  How to Combine Virtual and Face-to-Face Meetings.” For a recap of the event please click here for that article.

By most accounts the webinar went very well.  There was a terrific audience, nearly 200ppl.  The topic is very popular right now in the events business, so there was a lot of interest around it.  Our panel was very well prepared to address the learning objectives, for the event,  and we had a strong Powerpoint presentation to support the discussion, which is a key component to a successful webinar.

However, there were some challenging moments, and therefore some learning lessons to this experience.

Learning Lesson #1: The Moderator/Facilitator is the Gatekeeper – As I was the facilitator, it was my responsibility to keep all of us panelists on track, and aligned with the expectations of the event.  See Learning Lesson #2 below — I learned the hard way!

Learning Lesson #2:  Get to your learning objectives as soon as possible – This webinar was a one-hour session.  We spent the first thirty minutes in the Introduction phase, which was entirely too long.  There was an important story, which added credibility to our presentation talking points, but we should have been more succinct in “teeing it up” to the audience.

Learning Lesson #3:  Make absolutely certain the Webinar technology is completely functional – We had two tech rehearsals for this webinar, but neglected to verify one important detail; that the webinar chat window was operational.  It wasn’t.  As the facilitator, I was supposed to monitor the questions and comments from the audience … I could not see them.  We eventually resolved the problem, but it created some awkward moments.

Learning Lesson #4:  Always have a conversation “back channel” available – All three of us panelists are Twitter fanatics.  Yet, we somehow forgot to promote a Twitter Hashtag channel, for the event, ahead of time.  It happened anyways, as our attendees created one, on their own.  But… that was slightly embarrassing.

Learning Lesson #5:  Close the Webinar Platform Immediately After Event – If you plan to have a post-event briefing (a good idea) with panelists, it is wise to first close out of the webinar.  One panelist and I thought the platform was already shutdown to the public, and continued conversing, after the event, only to discover, through feedback from attendees, that we were still live.  Not a good thing!

Looking ahead, I will leverage these lessons in future webinar opportunities.  I tend to be hard on myself, as I strive for perfection, but if life were perfect, it would be boring, for sure. 

Question:  What learning lessons have you benefited from, in your experiences with webinars?  If you attended this session, did I miss anything?  Please share your thoughts with us!

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I facilitated the session, with fellow panelists Jeff Hurt and [...]]]>

Earlier today PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) hosted a webinar entitled “Engaging Attendees Today:  How to Combine Virtual and Face-to-Face Meetings.“  As you may know this is a hot topic in the events business in 2010, and there were nearly 200ppl in attendance at the webinar.

I facilitated the session, with fellow panelists Jeff Hurt and Christina Coster.  Jessica Levin was also originally slated to participate as well, but unfortunately had to back out at the last minute.

The unusual slant to this webinar was to share our Hybrid event experiences through the lens of the recent Event Camp 2010, held in New York City on February 6, 2010.  Christina was the brain-child, the genesis of that un-conventional conference.  Along with Jeff, Jessica & I, Mike McAllen rounded out a five-person team that produced Event Camp.

In recap the following were the learning objectives for the webinar:

• Discuss how to use Social Media as tool to enhance attendee experience before, during and after meeting.

• Identify ways to manage technology to deliver a seamless Hybrid experience.

• Discuss strategies for increasing interaction between virtual & face2face attendees.

A Twitter Hashtag #EC10W was established for this seminar by our Twitter colleagues and there was a ton of activity in that channel during the event.  A transcript of the chat can be found here.  Here are the stats courtesy of WtHashtag:

A detailed discussion of what we presented in the webinar will be posted on this blog, on another day, but for now here are links to the slide presentation, which is in pdf format.  Also, in approximately two weeks PCMA will have an archived version of the webinar available at their Online Learning Center.

Have a fantastic weekend!

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Several months ago, one of my Eventprofs colleagues, Christina Coster, a [...]]]>

Over the past year I have written many blog articles in which I have referred to the Twitter Hashtag Community “Eventprofs.”  My success in the blogging and social media world has been significantly influenced by my yearlong collaboration with this like-minded group of event professionals.

Several months ago, one of my Eventprofs colleagues, Christina Coster, a NYC based Freelance planner,  came up with the idea of producing an “un-conference,” calling it Event Camp 2010.  A team was formed to create the event, slated for the Roger Smith Hotel, in New York City.  I was asked to become part of that five-person team.

The Event Camp 2010, held on February 6, 2010 was a huge success, and by all accounts will live on in social media folklore.  Many blog articles, magazine articles and newspaper articles have been written about this event, in the month since it occurred.  Evaluations, by attendees, of Event Camp were stellar, and there is a huge interest in the events business for the next version of this innovative conference.

The most important learning lesson, arguably, from this experience is the realization that “online relationships and events lead to, not replace, face2face events.”  If you ask any of the 75 participants who attended this conference face2fac, if that is true, I am 100% confident you will hear a resounding “yes” from all of them.

This Friday, March 5, from 12noon – 1pm, CST PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) is hosting a free webinar addressing this very subject.  Christina Coster, Jessica Levin, Jeff Hurt, all Eventprofs veterans, and the planning team for Event Camp 2010, along with myself, as Facilitator, will tell the story of what led to this event, and  its impact on the events business.  Sadly, our fifth team member, Mike McAllen, will not be able to join us.

This interactive session, in which our panel will take questions/comments from the virtual audience, will provide attendees with a behind-the-scenes look at how to plan and execute a hybrid meeting.  Key take-aways from the webinar will include:

• Learn how social media can help you achieve and improve upon your meeting objectives before, during, and after your event.
• Discover how to manage technology to deliver a seamless hybrid meeting.
• Learn new strategies to increase interaction by virtual and face-to-face attendees.

To register for the webinar please click here.  If you are not able to join us on Friday, an archive of this event will be available at the PCMA online learning center.

We hope you will join us on March 5th for this exciting session!

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Have you ever attended a Conference Keynote Session, and watched a speaker read their entire presentation from their laptop computer?  Needless to say, it is not an energetic, or engaging experience! I’m thinking there must be some truth to the idea that, before God invented Tylenol PM, there was the “Robotic” Keynote Presentation. 

Earlier this week, as I’ve mentioned in a couple of blog articles, I attended the MPI “Meet Different” Conference, as a virtual participant.  Each day the program was kicked off with a keynote session.  On Day Three (Tuesday) MPI attendees were “introduced” to the intellectual thoughts of author Marty Neumeier, best known for his “whiteboard” books entitled “The Brand Gap,” “Zag” and “The Designful Company.”

Marty Neumeier

Mr. Neumeier has a reputation for being a “maverick thinker,” an innovator, and a brand strategist.   According to Peachpit, a website for publishers of technology books, eBooks, and videos for creative people, his mission is to “incite business revolution by unleashing the power of design thinking.”

Without a doubt, Marty is a very intelligent, knowledgeable guy, with laser insight into the pulse of innovation.  Unfortunately, his stage presence, and delivery as a public speaker leaves much to be desired.

For the first 35-40 minutes of his presentation, at MPI, Marty maintained direct eye contact with his laptop computer while speaking to the MPI audience.  It was a painful experience, for virtual attendees, and about fifteen minutes into the presentation he lost me.  I went AWOL (Attending Without Officially Listening)

Thankfully, Glenn Thayer, Superstar Emcee for the MPI Event, woke us all up by snatching Marty away from that podium, and laptop, shifting to a more engaging environment…  two bar stools on the stage.  The transformation was instantaneous, and magical.  Here’s why:

• Changing Marty’s focus from the laptop, and the podium, to the audience had a “right-sizing” effect.  Immediately there was a connection!
• Marty’s energy level skyrocketed, as Glenn’s engaging interview style converted the conversation, from lecture style to conversational.
• Without the distraction of a computer, and relying purely on his instincts, Marty now addressed questions and comments (from both Glenn and the audience) naturally.
• There was a positive change in Mr. Neumeier’s facial expressions, and listening to him speak, there was a noticeable difference in the emotion/passion behind his comments.  Allowed to speak purely from his heart his words were both interesting and sincere.

Marty Neumeier & Glenn Thayer on Stage (Thanks Cameron Toth)

In my opinion, Marty Neumeier is a talented author, and an intellectual thinker, but public speaking is not his strong point.  Fortunately for MPI, they hired a “champion” Emcee, who instantaneously understood what needed to be done to turn this situation around.

Question:  What are your thoughts regarding this situation?  What do you think could have been done better?  I look forward to your perspectives!

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Learning can be Painful!!

Putting aside my disagreement with MPI’s pricing model, [...]]]>

About 10 days ago, I wrote an article which, in part, was critical of MPI (Meeting Professionals International) for deciding to charge “non-members” a hefty fee for their Virtual Access Pass (VAP) to the 2010 Meet Different Conference.  (occurred in Cancun, Mexico this week)

Learning can be Painful!!

Putting aside my disagreement with MPI’s pricing model, I registered anyways for the VAP and attended this conference as a virtual participant. I am glad I did, because, as it turns out, there were some good learning moments.  As a bonus,  I also made some new quality connections with other MPI attendees.

The virtual experience, from my perspective,  was by no means perfect.  In follow up, I promised to share my feedback with MPI, via this blog, and so, through the lens of a virtual attendee here are my observations, both positive and negative, of this Hybrid conference:

What Went Well!

• MPI “VAP” Customer Service — the MPI customer service team, led by Theresa Davis, did an outstanding job of embracing VAP attendees, as well as assisting them with their challenges.  The service was impeccable!
• Opening General Session – featuring Jeremy Gutsche, Innovation Expert was in my opinion the finest education moment of the conference.  For a more detailed recap of his presentation please click here.   His energy, knowledge, humor and connection with the audience (including us VAP folks) was compelling.
• Virtual/Face2Face attendees Interaction — MPI did a nice job of promoting use of the conference hashtag, #MD10.  For the three main days of the event (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday) there was excellent dialogue amongst attendees using this Twitter conversation channel.

Twitter Activity for 2010 MPI "Meet Different" Conference

• 

  Glenn Thayer

  Emcee (Glenn Thayer) — Over the years I have experienced many Conference “Emcees” and by far I am most impressed with Glenn Thayer.  In addition to having immediate stage charisma, which is important for the “Emcee” role, Glenn was very engaging with both the face2face and virtual audiences.  Glenn even posted many tweets before, during, and after the events.  I would recommend Glenn in a heartbeat to anyone looking for a highly engaging, charismatic Emcee for their event.

• Knowledge Session – “Hybrid Meeting Dissected and Demystified” – An outstanding session, led by Midori Connolly of Pulse Staging.  Midori’s approach was very interactive, engaging and she did a great job of blending the participation of the virtual and face2face audiences.  Questions/comments from VAP attendees were both encouraged and addressed!  Glenn Thayer assisted Midori being the Twitter Moderator, for this event.  That was a real nice touch!

Midori Connolly, "Hybrid Session Leader" Multi-tasking

• Audio Quality in all webcasts was excellent!
• Archives of the Video and Audio recordings – are available for access by VAP customers.  As far as I know copies of slide presentations are still not available.

What Didn’t Go Well

• Pathable Conference Community– Disappointingly, no access was granted to VAP attendees, to the Conference community site.  This was a large mistake, for two reasons:
  • The attendee segment (VAP Pass Holders) that could have most benefited from the social community, had no access.
  • Access to this community would have helped to build credibility for MPI, with non-member attendees, and facilitated relationship building, ultimately leading to possible new MPI memberships.
• Significant Internet Access Issues — The Internet connection crashed on several occasions, denying VAP holders access to the webcast content.  I also understand the WIFI in the Conference space was inconsistent, and failed as well.  This is a major problem that can turn a successful Hybrid conference into a disaster.  Thanks to the hard work of the MPI customer service team the glitches were corrected in a reasonable time period.
• Powerpoint and other Media Not Available — To our dismay slide presentations and other media utilized were not available to the virtual attendee, really diminishing the impact of the sessions.  When I last checked these visual aids are still not available post-event.
• Webcast Interface — A twitter chat interface was missing from the webcast window, creating an awkward user experience.  In order to interact in the hashtag channel attendees were forced to switch back and forth between Twitter feed and webcast windows.
• Speaker Communication with Attendees– With many sessions there was very little, if any  engagement by speakers with the virtual audience, leaving us feeling left out.  During group exercises VAP attendees were left in limbo with nothing to do.
• Breaks and Lunch — Once again, no engagement with Virtual attendees, or involvement/access to Iron Chef competition.  (that could have been very exciting for VAP attendees to watch)
• Sessions Offering Webcast –  Poor choices of sessions webcast vs. those not webcast.  For example, in the first track of sessions on Monday, both sessions featured material addressing C-Level Executives.  At the same time, a “Tweet Different” session occurred, which was less valuable to VAP attendees, when offered in an “audio only” environment.

Learning Lessons

So what are the real lessons with this experience?  Well, there are clearly some things that could be done differently, in the future, that will significantly enhance the experience for the virtual attendee.  Here are some thoughts:

• Selecting Sessions for Video Streaming– MPI should identify sessions for webcasting that will really benefit from that media channel.  Sessions where there is hands-on instruction, or significant interaction are great candidates for this type of broadcast support.
• Social Community Access — I can think of no downside to providing virtual attendees with access to the social community.  It will only heighten the overall buzz of the conference and create stronger connections between the virtual and face2face attendees.  Furthermore it will help to build a case for MPI membership, for non-members.
• Internet Connections and Bandwidth — There is no room for compromise with this critical element.  During site selection process MPI should identify the venue’s competency in this arena and plan accordingly.  Internet bandwidth is the lifeblood of any conference, with virtual components, and should be a top priority.
• Speaker Coaching — All presenters, regardless of experience should be briefed  and coached on expectations regarding attendee engagement and the importance of interaction.  This component of the event is as important as the logistics themselves.  If there will be group exercises, during a particular session, then the leader for that session should have some engaging provision which speaks directly to the virtual audience as well.
• Session Breaks, Coffee Breaks, Etc — I would recommend hiring a professional “journalist style” interviewer, to interview speakers and/or participants during breaks in the action, to enrich the experience for all concerned.  We did this with the Event Camp Conference earlier this month and received fantastic feedback from attendees.  An excellent resource is Emilie Barta, who is really terrific for adding value to webcasts and other virtual events.
• Slide Presentations and Other Media — Must absolutely be incorporated into the webcast, or the value of the session is diminished significantly.  There are applications available that will integrate slides, a Twitter Feed and the Video together on one page.  This is really a rich environment to provide to Virtual attendees.  An example of this type of interface is Twebevent, created by Robert Swanwick.

Congratulations to MPI for really making an effort to embrace the virtual attendee!  Hybrid events are still in their infancy, so there is a huge learning curve for all of us.

Question:  Do you have any suggestions to address the issues which arose with this conference, or any other Hybrid event?  If you do please bring them forth in the comments section!

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Here are the tweets (without User’s name) … you decide if they were appropriate or not:

First Tweet:  [...]]]>

I read a couple of tweets this afternoon that really got me fired up.  They were from someone who was very critical of the hashtag community”#Eventprofs.”  I believe criticism, when delivered constructively, and accompanied with proposed solutions, is healthy.

Here are the tweets (without User’s name) … you decide if they were appropriate or not:

First Tweet:  “#eventprofs tag makes me cringe. It used to be cool but now all I see is RT & FF spam from self-promoting suits. I’m not learning anymore”

Second Tweet:   “….but now #eventprofs is just used to advertise events themselves & promote useless tweeps who RT each other’s useless articles & quotes.”

While I don’t take these comments personally, I am an active member of the Eventprofs community, so I gotta say, I am not feeling the love here!!    In response to this person my two questions (via tweets) were:

• Why (do you feel the way you do?)
• Are you contributing?

I believe those are fair questions.  Those of us connected to the Eventprofs community (myself included) are always interested in learning and getting better at what we do… that has always been the spirit of the group.  And, when I hear someone say they are not learning anymore, I tend to wonder whether they are making any effort themselves. Hmmm…. what do you think?

So, really, I have three thoughts to share here, based upon my own perspective and experiences.

• If a person is  interested in building relationships with other people and growing their sphere of quality contacts, it will really serve them well to treat others in the manner they would like to be treated.   Yes… the good ole fashioned “Golden Rule“  I learned that simple truth  long ago and it appears to be timeless in its meaning!
• Criticism is a good thing, as long as its delivered with dignity, and with solutions.
• I believe a person receives value from an opportunity proportionate to the effort they put into it.  For example, if I spend positive energy and reasonable effort into my interactive experiences on Twitter, then most likely I will receive the same type of response headed back my way from those I am communicating with.

You can refer to this as “good Karma,” you can label it “considerate behavior” …  I just call it “Common Sense.”  What’s your opinion?

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Admittedly, I do have a passion for technology.  In fact, I am fascinated by it.  What really [...]]]>

I had a lunch/meeting with two Experient colleagues this past week and our conversation really was terrific.  At some point our discussion turned towards social media. (Imagine that)  One of my colleagues referred to my enthusiasm for social media.

Admittedly, I do have a passion for technology.  In fact, I am fascinated by it.  What really gets my “motor running” though, is thinking about utilizing technology as a customer service tool.   Since I work as a consultant in the Meetings and Events business I am very interested in the influence of technology on services provided to meeting attendees.  Most notable of those services is education content.

Reasonably, education sessions, at a meeting or conference,  should not only share quality information with participants, but perhaps, more importantly,  should engender a healthy learning atmosphere.  Unfortunately, education sessions often fall short of that important objective.  Many people (myself included) believe  the core challenge lies with education design.

“The highest function of the teacher consists not so much in imparting knowledge as in stimulating the pupil in its love and pursuit.”

Part of the solution to improving education lies with Event Professionals taking responsibility for helping drive the content development process.  In essence they must engineer productive event experiences for attendees.   So how does the Event Professional lead their organizations from failure to success in providing a rich learning environment?  Here are some thoughts:

• Understand Your Audience – as with most business endeavors, the key to success lies with learning how attendees prefer to do business, and what their real education needs are.  Ideally, an organization should involve its attendees in the design of the event.  In the business world today, customers expect to have a voice… and they demand to be heard!  If their plea is ignored, they will go elsewhere for their education.
• Understand Good Adult Learning Concepts – By understanding how the brain processes information, understanding attention span, and the important role human interaction plays in promoting a healthy learning environment much can be learned about  event design.  There are a variety of resources available to understand the brain’s role in the learning process.  Here are links to a couple of articles on this subject:
  • Eric P. Jensen — A Fresh Look at Brain-Based Education
  • Leslie Owen Wilson — Wilson’s Links on Brain-based Education

• Leverage Technology as a tool to Enhance the Experience – Web 2.0 has opened the door to many applications that will encourage interaction, collaboration, and excitement at an event.  For a robust conversation regarding these tools please read the following blog articles:
  • Sam Smith — “43 Social Media Tips, Tricks, Big Ideas & Real World Examples for Meetings & Events“
  • Jeff Hurt — 16 Criteria For Choosing Your Conference Backchannel Tool
• Create an engaging event atmosphere — In order for education content to be retained, it must be presented in an environment that supports it.  To put this into perspective, if you walk into a fine dining establishment, you have a certain expectation of that experience.  You might expect the atmosphere to be intimate and conversational, the service impeccable, and the food deliciously exotic.  Yet, if any aspect of those  expectations falls short, your overall experience is negatively impacted.  The same thing applies to education.
• Hire qualified, engaging speakers/facilitators — the talking head is dead!  Your organization could have a magnificent program lined up, with excellent topics, and great proposed learning outcomes, but if the speaker does not deliver on those objectives in alignment with effective adult learning practices, the program will flop.  Before signing a contract with a speaker, make sure your expectations are aligned with their ability to deliver.

Question — What experiences have you had with education design that proved effective?  How are you creating a rich learning environment at your events?  Please share your thoughts with us!

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This move caused quite a controversy in the Events community, because of the aggressively high price tag [...]]]>

Some of you may recall last July (2009) MPI (Meeting Professionals International) rolled out a “Virtual Access Pass” (VAP) for its WEC (World Education Congress).  The fee for this pass was $299.00 providing access to all their sessions virtually.

This move caused quite a controversy in the Events community, because of the aggressively high price tag for such an event, combined with a tough economy.  Subsequently there was a surge of blog activity, unanimously denouncing this pricing model, as being short-sighted and non customer service focused.  For a more complete synopsis of the discussions that took place back in July read this blog by Jeff hurt.

This past week, I decided to check into the possibility of acquiring a VAP for the upcoming “Meet Different” MPI Conference in Cancun, Mexico, taking place February 20-23, 2010.  I visited the MPI website, and learned MPI is in fact offering a VAP for this program.  The good news is MPI is now offering the VAP to its members free of charge.  A VAP is available to non-members, but sadly, for the hefty price tag of $325.00.

Like many business professionals, I am provided financial support, by my company, to be a member of one industry organization.  For many reasons, I have chosen PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) as my organization of choice.   Besides delivering superb education and terrific events PCMA also routinely offers “free” webinars for hot industry topics, and also, with the recent January 2010 Annual Meeting, free virtual access to their meeting content, regardless of membership status.

Ironically, I can purchase, if I wanted to, an MPI membership for $375.00 US, and then I would have access to a “free-of-charge” VAP for the Meet Different Conference.  Unfortunately, as with many other people, my budget will not allow for that.  Even if I could afford to purchase a membership, I wouldn’t.  You see, I am not convinced that MPI is very forward thinking.  I believe they are missing out on a huge opportunity to acquire new members and greater visibility of their organization.

Put yourself in my shoes for a moment … as a non-member, if I were offered a taste of MPI events, on a complimentary basis, or at least at a low price point, then I just might embrace the spirit of what they did and consider joining the organization.  Instead, I am forced to make a choice, write a large check to attend an event virtually, without any notion of what real value I will receive, or choose not to participate.

There are many conferences and events, with virtual components,  being offered on a complimentary basis.  For example, the Virtual Edge Summit is being held over the same dates as the MPI program.  I have registered (for free)  for the Summit, and will attend that event, instead of MPI.  The folks that put on the Virtual Edge Summit are thought leaders, and they understand customer service.  I will focus my time and attention on their conferences and events.  In fact, I will probably buy from them, in the future.

It seems to me, that MPI could have funded their virtual technology for this event, by leveraging sponsorship opportunities.  Perhaps they are doing that too, I don’t know.  Maybe they just need operating revenue, and that is the bottom line.

Question:  What is your opinion of how this has been handled?  Do you think organizations should put a hefty price tag on virtual content?  How do you think these services should be funded?  Please share your opinions!

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