Virtual Events Broadening Their Footprint With Lead Gen Success, New Applications
- Written by
- Published in Feature Articles
Virtual events are becoming a more integral part of BtoB marketing and event planning, as more companies are expanding the platform as part marketing mix and lead generation campaigns. On the heels of a research report (DemandGen Report, March 17, 2008) from the FactPoint Group highlighting the growth and establishing best practices for virtual events, new models and case studies continue to support a rapid growth curve for online events.
Aliso Viejo, CA-based Quest Software, an enterprise software company, hosted their own virtual trade show on the Unisfair
With over 140 different products, lead generation is a critical element for Quest. Myers said the company is best known for its Toad application, which is designed to increase user productivity and application code quality, while providing an interactive community to support the user experience. Since Quest has many other products, Myers said the virtual event was important in increasing awareness. “We found the Unisfair environment to be virtual enough to be engaging to the user, while still being professional and easy to use at the same time, said Myers.”
Quest Software’s virtual event saw over 1,300 registrants. More than 600 people attended all or part of the show on the day of the live event. The 46% attendance rate was comparable to what Quest has seen with typical webcasts, Myers said. People are still registering for the pre-recorded content, and Quest has been able to market to non-registrants as well. “It’s really the gift that keeps on giving for us,” Meyers said. Based on the success of its first virtual events, he added that Quest has a number of proposals out to various business unit owners to do their own virtual event this year.
Retail TouchPoints, sister publication to DemandGen Report, is bringing the virtual trade show format to the retail industry this summer with the launch of the 2008 Customer Engagement Conference. Powered by the iCongo Live software system, the August 6th event will offer many features of a physical event, including online booths, web seminar sessions and content downloads.
NEW APPLICATIONS
Beyond the traditional BtoB trade show models, other organizers have experienced success in applying the virtual platforms to other networking events. In late March, CollegeWeekLive hosted the largest-ever virtual college fair on the iCongo Live platform. Over 40,000 participants registered to attend the event—three times the number of the original CollegeWeekLive event held in November 2007.
During the free Web-enabled two-day gathering, students, parents, and guidance counselors from across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America used the latest internet technologies—including live video chat, live webcasts, and virtual environment—to connect with one another—in addition to admission officers and leading college experts.
Expanding The Virtual Horizon
Capitalizing on the growing trend of Virtual Events, platform provider Unisfair recently released a version 2.0 of its Virtual Events for Business tool, with new features catering to the needs of marketers—while integrating third-party solution vendors, like Salesforce.com
E-commerce enables virtual event organizers to 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.
Professional Networking helps facilitate collaboration and networking. Event attendees can upload, modify, and publish their professional profiles within a virtual environment. The Unisfair Professional Networking tool then searches the virtual environment and delivers recommendations on others who have similar business interest based on certain criteria.
Multi-Language Events give attendees the option to experience a virtual environment in 15 different languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish, Czech, Polish, Chinese, and Korean.
Version 2.0 is designed to up the ante of the virtual event by seamlessly integrating with, and accommodating add-ins from, third-party solutions including sales force automation tools like Salesforce.com, webcasting and virtual hosts. Additionally, it delivers several new designs for virtual environments, virtual booths, and even virtual booth representatives.
“Over half a million people have attended our virtual trade shows, job fairs and trainings, which have been sponsored by approximately 2,000 companies,” said Guy Piekarz, CEO of Unisfair, in a press release. “This latest set of capabilities will further our ability to help customers generate demand and extend reach, while simultaneously reducing costs.”
To read the earlier DemandGen feature article on virtual events, click here.