It’s a new time for marketing, a time when customers are demanding instant access to information and marketers are faced with increasing pressure to find new solutions that increase ROI, control marketing spend, and measure every dollar. It’s a time when advancements with virtual technologies are changing the way we interact with customers and each other. It’s a time when virtual is the new reality. Virtual events are enabling an innovative kind of information exchange among customers, prospects, partners and individuals.
More and more people around the globe are communicating in dynamic virtual environments free from the limitations of physical location, time, and content type. Virtual events are offering new marketing communication channel that decreases marketing spend, strengthens relationships and establishes a strong ROI. Over the last decade, interactive virtual technology has been used by scientists, photographers, product designers, game developers and even doctors. Now this dimensional, dynamic technology is being applied to business marketing communications.
Virtual events are totally transforming the way companies approach their business and interact with customers. Recently, BtoB announced the findings of its study “State of Virtual Events”, an in-depth study based on a survey conducted online in October, with 501 executives, directors and managers responding. In a nutshell, the study revealed that virtual events are reaching critical mass as a mainstream marketing channel and marketers are planning to use them increasingly in 2011 to augment other channels.
Key Findings/Highlights
- 50 percent of respondents said they planned to increase involvement with virtual events this year, while 60% said they planned to boost their use of virtual events in 2011.
- Marketers strongly embrace webinars, with 71% of respondents currently using or considering using them. Internal learning, education and training (65%) also are popular uses for virtual events, with sales and board meetings (32%) and focus groups (23%) also used by many marketers.
- Approximately 63 percent of the respondents view virtual events as innovative marketing and communications vehicles
- 35 percent of respondents said the strength of virtual events lies in their being staged simultaneously with a live event.
- Forty-four percent of respondents said they worry about the prospect of poor attendance at virtual events, while other concerns included the reliability of virtual event technology (26%), costs (26%) and lack of personal understanding of how to organize a virtual event (18%).
BtoB is also hosting Digital Edge – A Virtual Tradeshow for Marketers, which will take place virtually on December 2, 2010. This virtual trade show is dedicated to the best in digital strategies and tactics for b2b marketers. Michael Kushner, VP Digital Media Strategy, will share insights on the state of virtual events at this virtual trade show. To register to attend BtoB’s Digital Edge, click here.
Michael Kushner will also share his experience at the Virtual Edge Summit January 12 -13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and online. This event will bring together the most knowledgeable and influential virtual event and meeting talent from across the country, to share the latest thinking and innovations in virtual marketing, meeting, learning and business. You’ll experience world class speakers predominantly from Fortune 500 companies, their partners, as well as seasoned media professionals that are all on the leading edge of virtual event best practices. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how you can benefit from virtual events across your entire business. To register to attend Virtual Edge Summit, click here.
