Business Motivations and Social Behaviors for In-Person and Online Events

Transcription

1 Business Motivations and Social Behaviors for In-Person and Online Events A Research Study Conducted by: UBM Studios Virtual Edge Institute The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Presented By: Michael Doyle Kathleen Connolly Principal, VP Sales Development West Michael Doyle Partners UBM Studios

2 Overview The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), UBM Studios and the Virtual Edge Institute combined efforts to survey marketing professionals in order to get a pulse on: 1. the work-related uses of events, expositions, virtual engagements 2. and the motivations and actions surrounding physical and online event participation.

3 Methodology The survey was conducted amongst 479 North American marketing and event professionals during May 2011 About 60,000 invites went out across PCMA, VEI, UBM and an independent list Twitter Two ipads were offered as incentives Survey was open for 30 days

4 Key Findings Business Travel to Conferences, Conventions and Tradeshows Generally Remain The Same Content is Valued Before, During and After the Event All Participants, Both In Person and Online, Are Easily Distracted People are Social Creatures Both In person and Online People Seek the Same Information Exhibitor Goals Seem to Align with Attendees Needs Content and Ease-of-Use Motivates Online Attendance Networking and Collaboration Motivates Physical Attendance

5 Business Travel Remains Unchanged

6 Why They Produced a Virtual Event

7 Poll: Have you participated or planned an event that have combined live and virtual components?

8 Market Content Before, During and After the Event

9 Have you created a formal content plan for your events? Yes No

10 Content and Ease of Use Motivates Online Attendance

11 We re Easily Distracted

12 All Participants Are Easily Distracted In person Online

13 What do Exhibitors at Physical Events Want

14 What People Want from an Exhibitor

15 What People Want from an Exhibitor

16 People Seek the Same Information

17 What Could Make an Online Exhibit Compelling Where I can see the vendors presentation and see their product in action and being able to ask questions and examine the pros and cons.

18 Poll: Have you created a formal plan for driving exhibitor/attendee interaction?

19 Networking and Collaboration Motivates Physical Attendance

20 Conclusion There are many similarities in the way people behave during online and in-person programs We were surprised by how many multi-tasking activities were the same for both People attend events for Content the differences between virtual and in person is the fall off in networking in the online experience Digital event producers need to create structured networking activities People are equal in their comfort level in making new acquaintances and chatting with strangers online and in person Attendees from both want to stay up-to-date on what is new, and want to learn from subject matter experts Attendees want to gain knowledge to help them do their jobs better Exhibitors want brand and product exposure, new business opportunities and ability to educate the market Virtual environments are enhanced with video, demos, rich content and interactivity

21 About the Sponsors About PCMA The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is the source for education, professional resources and advocacy for the meeting, convention and exhibition industry. Founded in 1957, PCMA represents more than 6000 meeting management professionals from associations, non-profit organizations, corporations, independent meeting planning companies, multi-management firms, and association executives who recognize the importance of meetings to their organization. PCMA provides members with the tools they need to succeed as meeting professionals and to promote the value of the industry to their organizations and the general public. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 17 chapters throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. For additional information, please visit the PCMA Web site at pcma.org. About UBM Studios UBM Studios leads the industry in world-class user engagement for virtual environments, social networking and gaming. A global marketing service, UBM Studios delivers content, audience and in-depth analytics driving deeper award-winning user engagement paired with vision, process and execution. Visit UBM Studios at About The Virtual Edge Institute The Virtual Edge Institute is an organization dedicated to advancing the development and adoption of digital event and meeting technology and best practices for collaboration and marketing. Founded in 2008 by Michael Doyle, the Institute does this by supporting and contributing research, education, thought leadership, promotion, and professional networking. Learn more at

22 Contact info for questions, please contact: For UBM Studios, Kathleen Connolly or For Virtual Edge Institute, Michael Doyle For PCMA, Mary Reynolds Kane or

23 End of Presentation Additional Slide (attached)

24 Incorporate Best Practices By focusing on audience needs and experience, exhibitors can move toward a model where virtual booths cease to be replicate website content but rather morph into an extension of an attendees experience at a tradeshow or convention. Market Before, During and After: Evaluate content marketing strategies to meet attendees desire to receive information before, during and after an event, such as creating an eventspecific blog or offering a sign up page for an enewsletter. Include Subject-Matter Experts: Booth staff must be knowledgeable about a.) the company products and services, b.) how this benefits an attendee, and c.) how customers are using this information. Evaluate your staffing strategy to invite customers and subject matter experts to staff the booth. Consider holding live ask-the-expert sessions within the booth during lulls in the event agenda as an incentive to drive audiences to the booth. Highlight Recent News & Developments: Physical and online attendees are looking for up-to-date information. Designate an area where attendees can learn about new developments and ask questions. For example, labeling a tab What s New? within the online exhibit booth. Incorporate Real-Time, Video Product Demos: Most product videos in online exhibit booths are on-demand replays. Yet, online attendees desire live product demos, allowing them to ask questions in real-time and touch and feel the product as they could in person. If a product demo must be done on-demand, consider scheduling specific times throughout the day to play the demo and holding questions and answer sessions in real-time. Segment Content by Audience: Attendees are expecting more customized information that fits their specific business needs and industry. This is an opportunity for virtual event platform providers to enhance capabilities to match content based on attendee profiles or behavior within the environment. In lieu of this, exhibitors should evaluate audience demographics to categorize content by business need and industry. I think there should be more interactivity, virtual demos and videos. Downloading documents is good but there should be a lot more in the booths.