An innovative meeting planning and travel firm this month is embracing the world of Virtual Events as a new and exciting part of their business. While travel and live events may be victims of an economic slowdown, offering clients a professional Virtual Events option may be a winner.
Learn more about how and why Corporate Planners Unlimited, Inc. CEP Dan Parks (avatar above) opened the virtual doors to a new and improved Virtualis Convention Center this January, and how Parks’ partnership with famous Second Life virtual world in creating a dynamic virtual world as useful to business people as they are engaging for gamers. (Also, get a full summary of Virtualis features, cost structures and even a virtual tour.)
CPU’s Parks’ designed Virtualis to provide meeting planners and corporate marketers a business-savvy approach to virtual online events, doing plenty more than just offering online webinars and slideshows.
With Virtualis, meeting planners and attendees get much of what they expect from real-world events, including virtual keynotes in grand ballrooms, tours and demos in exhibit halls, live breakout sessions and even team-building events. And, all these benefits come sitting at one’s desk – and can save up to 80% off live convention events, as there are no expenses of air travel, hotel and time awayfrom the office.
Attracting Attendees: But how well do Virtualis’ Virtual Events capture attendee attention and imagination?
Capturing the attention of the business user is Parks’ key driver. “These new [virtual] technologies have shown increased attendance, great interest and affirmative results. Attendees…consistently respond positively to new surroundings with knowledge and presentations imparted in unique and interesting vehicles, providing a profound and lasting impact”.
Early User Reaction: Meeting professionals that have visited Virtualis have high praise for Virtualis, and note its design is well-suited to professional meetings and business events.
• Patti Shock, CPCE, Professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Director of Distance Learning at the Harrah College of Hotel Administration says, “This is so exciting. It is perfect for the tradeshow environment and show management should be looking at this as a way to extend their annual physical presence”.
• Andrea Gold, President of Gold Stars Speakers Bureau shares, “I see speakers thriving in and loving this virtual platform in the big picture”! When queried about how this may differ from booking speakers at a live program, Gold answered, “I don’t see any real difference in working with planners in the virtual reality vs. the physical, tangible reality”.
• Said Gloria Nelson, CSEP, Chief Experience Officer of Gloria Nelson Event Design, LLC, “Virtualis is a mix of excitingly new and familiar so that planning virtual events also parallels real-life work strategies. The flexibility offered in Virtualis is a wonderful new platform allowing blue sky creativity without the inherent physical risks or impediments,”
We also offer a Virtualis FAQ to allow you to learn more about Virtualis features, cost structures, attendee strategies and more from its creator Dan Parks.
