With the advent of virtual meeting technologies, the expanding presence of social media and the continued budget pressures facing corporations, what is your opinion regarding the future of large face-to-face meetings?

1

Evolution of Event Communications

Successful meeting and event programs are built on the foundations of effective communication efforts with audience members. Communicating well and communicating often is proven way to keep your audience engaged, informed and motivated. Today companies have more communications options to choose from based upon their meeting or event needs, as well as the preferences of their audience. But this wasn’t always the case. Historically, meeting and event planners were limited in terms of what communications options they had available. Creating and supporting levels of engagement during a program period was one thing, but leading up to and creating an afterglow experience post program involved a number of challenges that required new, more interactive tools and approaches. Through the course of the last several years, communications options have vastly evolved, leading toward much broader opportunities to further excite, engage and extend the overall attendee experience. Think of it this way – today’s communications have shifted from just supporting one-way informational exchanges to helping better create more engaging, two-way dialogues between hosts, speakers, sponsors and attendees. Consider the following periods of meeting and even communications, from where we were to where we are now. Event Communications 1.0 In the early years, meeting and event communications mainly involved traditional hard- copy mailings, outbound calling and fax transmissions. These one-way communication exchanges may have helped logistically, but were highly limiting when it came to one-to- one promotional relevance or communicating real-time shifts, changes or program updates. Event Communications 2.0 The dawn and mass market adoption of the Internet brought an immense improvement to meeting and event communications. Websites were created as a central linking point for program attendees to reference and register. In addition, emailing was integrated into communication strategies, providing a new and more effective mix for marketing efforts; it also could be used to provide ongoing announcements leading up to and following meeting and event programs. We’d have to wait just a bit longer for technologies to evolve and enable us to create more effective, two-way and interactive communication experiences. Event Communications 3.0 New technologies and new uses of existing technologies have impacted and created significant shifts in how people manage, operate, and socially interact with one another. Face-to-face meeting and event interactions now are more informed and greatly influenced by social networking, virtual engagements, and the use of mobile applications.

2

Social Networking Whether you like it or not, social networking is occurring already with regard to your meeting and event efforts. Ignoring it would place your program and organizational objectives at a disadvantage. Embracing social networking involves a number of considerations and can range in its level of adoption, but its inclusion can greatly enhance your ability to inform, motivate, and extend your program’s communication reach. Virtual Engagements The term “virtual” is often defined differently based upon who you ask. There are a number of technology advancements that have created different engagement options. For instance, the use of virtual worlds or Virtual Engagement Platforms (VEP), regional satellite broadcasting, webcasting and collaboration, as well as telepresence, are all primary industry formats available and in use today. However, each type has its strengths and weaknesses, but the right combination with specific face-to-face meeting and event types and audiences can substantially improve levels of reach, engagement and program performance. Mobile Applications A growing number of attendees are demanding more integration of mobile applications into the meeting and event programs they participate in. Mobile platforms have become today’s intersection point of the physical meeting or event, virtual experiences, and social networking interests. Put simply, program attendees want experiences that are more convenient, interactive, and integrated with their mobile devices. Making appointments, noting calendar commitments, sharing contact details, and having access to interact with other attendees, sponsors, and speakers 24/7 are among a variety of inclusions they’re looking for in today’s meeting and event programs. Right Mix of Communications Options These types of communications options can be deployed as tools to extend the overall attendee reach and experience throughout the lifecycle of a program – before, during and after your meeting or event. Organizations have greater opportunities today, over programs of the past, to create better business outcomes with the right integration of two-way, interactive communication options thanks to new technology advancements. Such opportunities enhance the value of meetings and events by further engaging an organization’s people – employees, channel partners and customers. While situations vary, so should the strategy. Otherwise, organizations run the risk of an ineffective, one-size-fits-all approach. Planners need to consider what the right mix of communication options is that can best help extend their program’s content, expand the audience reach, and create enhanced ways for program attendees to interact and engage others.