Revisiting Virtual Edge Summit 2011: Past, Present and Future
Nearly two months after Virtual Edge Summit 2011 (VES 11) concluded in Las Vegas, I’m astonished by the level of activity that was achieved by participants at the conference in person and virtually. We’re currently reviewing the survey responses (thanks to all who participated) and look forward to sharing our progress toward the 2012 summit.
So where were we?
Briefly, since 2008, the virtual events industry has gained wider acceptance and adoption with key pioneers, such as Cisco, IBM, and UBM Studios, pushing the awareness of this medium. We can’t forget Virtual Edge Institute’s (VEI) role in this as well - the first organization dedicated to digital solutions for events, meetings and learning and launching the first Summit dedicated to this space.
The first Summit was held back in 2009 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. We had a half a dozen sponsors, approximately 500 in person attendees and one platform streaming the content virtually. By 2010, we not only increased the number of sponsors and attendees, but also provided the first opportunity for online participants to experience multiple virtual platforms at once. In fact, it was clearly evident that we had outgrown the Santa Clara Convention Center.
Where are we now?
After our 2010 Summit, we recognized the need to partner with an organization to further expand the education and awareness of digital solutions to the larger meetings and events community. And PCMA was the right partner at the right time.
If we can be so bold, the co-location with PCMA’s Convening Leaders Conference represented an inflection point for the industry – wider acceptance of virtual technology for events, meetings and conferences. The Summit itself had a larger staff to assist with the planning, marketing and implementation. Combined with PCMA’s leadership, the Summit reached a wider audience.
From a marketing perspective alone, online buzz about the Summit was generated before and during the Summit, and continued two weeks after the event’s closing. There have been 50-plus media articles published, with nearly 900 tweets recorded during the height of the conference program (see image below).
So where are we headed?
Michael Doyle founded VEI with the vision that digital solutions will be leveraged beyond events and meeting to learning and community. That virtual technology will contribute positively to a company’s bottom line and overall business objectives. Recent announcements regarding a certification program for digital events strategist (and we must boast that VEI is helping to launch this program) and Intercall’s acquisition of Unisfair will only fuel the growth of our industry.
Over the next few months, we are even more dedicated to this vision. Stay tuned as we look forward to working with you – our members and the community – to harness the positive momentum into Virtual Edge Summit 2012!
So where were we?
Briefly, since 2008, the virtual events industry has gained wider acceptance and adoption with key pioneers, such as Cisco, IBM, and UBM Studios, pushing the awareness of this medium. We can’t forget Virtual Edge Institute’s (VEI) role in this as well - the first organization dedicated to digital solutions for events, meetings and learning and launching the first Summit dedicated to this space.
The first Summit was held back in 2009 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. We had a half a dozen sponsors, approximately 500 in person attendees and one platform streaming the content virtually. By 2010, we not only increased the number of sponsors and attendees, but also provided the first opportunity for online participants to experience multiple virtual platforms at once. In fact, it was clearly evident that we had outgrown the Santa Clara Convention Center.
Where are we now?
After our 2010 Summit, we recognized the need to partner with an organization to further expand the education and awareness of digital solutions to the larger meetings and events community. And PCMA was the right partner at the right time.
If we can be so bold, the co-location with PCMA’s Convening Leaders Conference represented an inflection point for the industry – wider acceptance of virtual technology for events, meetings and conferences. The Summit itself had a larger staff to assist with the planning, marketing and implementation. Combined with PCMA’s leadership, the Summit reached a wider audience.
From a marketing perspective alone, online buzz about the Summit was generated before and during the Summit, and continued two weeks after the event’s closing. There have been 50-plus media articles published, with nearly 900 tweets recorded during the height of the conference program (see image below).
So where are we headed?
Michael Doyle founded VEI with the vision that digital solutions will be leveraged beyond events and meeting to learning and community. That virtual technology will contribute positively to a company’s bottom line and overall business objectives. Recent announcements regarding a certification program for digital events strategist (and we must boast that VEI is helping to launch this program) and Intercall’s acquisition of Unisfair will only fuel the growth of our industry.
Over the next few months, we are even more dedicated to this vision. Stay tuned as we look forward to working with you – our members and the community – to harness the positive momentum into Virtual Edge Summit 2012!
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