EventCamp2010 Series – Post IV

Evolution of Online Networking Platforms and the Events Industry

In a lively breakout panel moderated by Jessica Levin, Clinton Bonner of The Social Collective and Tony Veroeven of Omnipress discussed the tools, potential value and best practices surrounding online conference communities.

Needs Assessment: What should you consider when trying to determine if these online community tools are right for your event?

The panelists agree that we are currently in Event Community 1.0 and people are very quick to turn down new platforms without much of an effort to see what they have to offer.

Ray Hansen really made this point stick with me when he explained later that day it’s important we remind ourselves that this technology is very new. We are a group of tech savvy people in the events industry, so more than anyone else, we are responsible for giving new technology a fair shot. Sometimes, we are all a bit too skeptical too early into trying something new and this is no different for event technology.

Some key takeaways from the panel

• Proximity-based alerts encourage participation/engagement (imagine how cool that would be for a mobile tradeshow scavenger hunt!)

• Even without the proximity-based alerts, you could easily incorporate an exhibit hall passport program on mobile versions of these platforms

• What happens when negative comments from attendees pop-up in the online community? Address it promptly and politely. Offer an alternative or a solution

• Attendees will ask “What’s in it for me?” when deciding whether the online community is worth their time. The most important thing is to show a specific win right off the bat. Prove that the online platform is not just a LinkedIn or Facebook mash-up

• Need a communications plan to reach out to them – before, during and after the event

• People go to events to learn, but also to network. They are hoping to meet the right people. (This is a great example of what these online platforms can offer that other sites like LinkedIn and Facebook do not. However, LinkedIn keeps evolving their events application and may eventually offer this as well. What can the other platforms do to stay ahead?)

• Seamless integration, syncing to registration pages, etc. is a must

• Some groups just aren’t ready for these platforms . . . yet. (The example given for this was doctors and lawyers. I don’t know about lawyers, but I think that with easily-accessible education/how-to’s from show management, doctors could really see some value in these online community platforms.)

• Show management needs to be a cheerleader in promoting awareness of the medium and educate attendees how to use it and the potential value

• A sleek interface for a mobile version of the platform is a must. We want the technology on our phones just as much, if not more than on a laptop. (apparently, a mobile version of the EventCamp platform was available, but I didn’t know this at the time)

Some other thoughts . . .

• Is there an option for live chat in any of these platforms, besides Twebevent?

• Is there a way you can see who else is “viewing now”? That may encourage interaction and participation.

• It would be fun and engaging to have a Flicker-type application embedded within the platform. (Does this already exist and I missed it?)

• I’d like to have the option to add or vote on specific things I hope the speaker addresses during a session in a public area.

• Why not allow sponsors to purchase the ability to (or have complimentary access to, as a sponsor benefit) hold a focus group on these platforms in conjunction with EventCamp 2011? It could be a lunchtime option for a limited number of attendees that fit the appropriate demographic. The general target audience is there already, and the focus groups could potentially offset some of the costs associated with running EventCamp, while giving the sponsor ideas and feedback.

• I would like to be able to tag specific conversations, similar to Google Reader, on these platforms. It loses value for me, when I get a digest in my inbox at the end of the day with numerous conversations on topics that may or may not be relevant to me. If there was a way to easily navigate, tag, and filter the conversations (like in Google Reader), I’d be less likely to get overwhelmed and just delete the digest.

This breakout was certainly a hot topic, with tons of questions (some skeptical, some not) from both virtual and live attendees.

I really appreciate the panelists’ willingness to participate in this type of forum. When you’re brave enough to sit on a panel where the pro’s and con’s of your specific product are up for debate, that simply speaks volumes about you and how you run your business.

Thank you, Clinton and Tony for sharing your honest and valuable insight. This breakout definitely opened up my eyes on some things and I learned a lot!