Claim OwnershipThe Cloud Conventions Podcast
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© 2023 The Cloud Conventions Podcast
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Cloud Conventions is The Platform for Virtual Events, Conferences & Trade Shows. In this podcast we talk about trends in the industry, emerging technologies, best practices, and the general process of hosting or complementing your events virtually.
28 Episodes
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Before the term collaboration was a thing, there was “conferencing” where I’ve spent the bulk of my business career. I’ve seen technology evolve from having an AT&T operator dial out to connect everyone to their call to where we are today with an array of low-cost video and collaboration tools at our fingertips. The real story doesn’t necessarily lie in how technology has moved the ball forward, but rather the profound impact it has had and continues to have in the way we get ...
Let’s face it. Most of you who are in the event industry and are listening to this podcast probably think that the online experience we all had to create over the last two years to produce our tradeshow, conference or event was a passing fad. After all, mask mandates are disappearing, the event halls are filling back up, and people are coming out of their houses and traveling again. Historically, the event industry has always been strongly rooted into paradigms that dictated ...
The research that I’ve read about the future of live events all points to the fact that no matter what happens with the Pandemic, having a virtual attendance option is something that an overwhelming majority of organizations want to incorporate in 2022 and beyond. But having said that, if you make that statement to event organizers, they may agree in principle, but not in practice. It seems as if the big elephant in the room is that to them, virtual represents a set of complicatio...
I’m getting ready to be the mother-in-law to a newly graduated nurse who earns her bachelor’s degree this December. Getting an education during the Pandemic has been more than a challenge for her especially with COVID restrictions that significantly reduced the hands-on clinical experience she needed to feel more confident to work with patients as she enters the workforce. However, as our company has been called on more and more often to deliver virtual and hybrid events for nursi...
What happened after 9/11 gives us a clue as to what will likely happen to the event industry. Even though live events are returning, the industry will likely not go back to a time where there are little to no technology options to participate virtually. Here’s why:
You’ve put most of your effort into pre-event marketing, building out your content strategy and making your virtual booth memorable. Now it’s time to think about the follow up. Virtual events almost always have extended timeframes for attendees to watch live sessions on-demand and come back to the exhibit hall to explore the virtual booths. Extend your marketing plan to include on-going follow up with attendees.Having worked with so many exhibitors, I always advise them to h...
If the only thing an attendee can do inside a booth is look around, then the exhibitor has missed opportunities to get the attendee involved with the booth staff, participating in educational opportunities, or having a path to get important items delivered to them. Calls to action enhance attendee engagement, keep them in the booth longer and accomplish what the exhibitor values most...valuable sales leads. As someone who has worked closely and trained with a lot of exhibitors, I a...
Exhibitors participating in multiple events use different technology platforms that host their virtual booths, all of which are different. Successful exhibitors get to know the technology for each individual event, gain a full understanding of the features and learn how to leverage them to enhance the attendee experience. Exhibitors must compensate for virtual booths that offer fully-featured immersive experiences to those that are more basic.It's important to learn the features o...
Smart exhibitors ask for data before, during and after the event and use that intelligence to adjust strategy. Attendees often register for virtual events at the last minute, and sometimes don’t ever login. Exhibitors should understand how many people are actually active in the platform to adjust their expectations. If available, exhibitors should closely monitor booth traffic, content views and engagement to adjust their strategy mid-event if needed.Here is a list of ways y...
Let’s face it, virtual conferences and tradeshows struggle to keep things interesting. When the event fails to delight the audience, that gives the exhibitor an opening to step in and make the attendee experience memorable inside the booth. The more creative the booth appears, the more the activities inside the booth are interesting, or the more the content is engaging, the more the exhibitor will be remembered. Attendees will pop into dozens of booths each day o...
Exhibitors that excel know how to position themselves as industry experts, trend-setters and educators. They go beyond just having sessions focused on selling their product, and instead showcase their expertise in the marketplace, what is trending, and the changing face of the customer. A content strategy defines the exhibitor inside the booth as well as on the show’s event stage.As an event manager I’ve worked very closely with exhibitors in helping them develop a content strateg...
Move around the virtual exhibit hall and visit various booths and it’s clear to see which exhibitors just ”phoned it in” and those that worked hard to build a better booth. Booths that attract attendees and hold their attention have compelling graphics, offer video content, upload the right marketing and product materials and have a strategy to give attendees what they need and want.I’ve assisted countless exhibitors set up their virtual booths, and I’ve seen some exhibitors really do a...
The booth is only one segment of the event platform and successful exhibitors know how to place themselves outside the booth to elevate their profile. Sponsorships offer exhibitors advertising placements, sponsorships of sessions, the opportunity to host the social sessions and coffee breaks, have premium placements in site directories and be showcased in the exhibit hall pavilions. As an event specialist, I’ve worked on many events that offer sponsorship opportunities for exhibit...
The time to engage attendees in a virtual event is not when it opens; it’s well in advance. Successful exhibitors have a strategy to let the market know that they are exhibiting at the event, tease potential attendees about what they will experience if they come to the booth and give people reasons to meet while the show is live. Successful exhibitors use every promotional tool at their disposal including social media, email marketing and press announcements.Here are some ways exh...
Companies sometimes incorrectly assume that exhibiting at virtual shows is easier, less labor intensive, and requires less planning than a live event. While most of the manual labor of traveling and physically setting up the booth is eliminated, a clear and concise plan is still crucial to a successful event. Companies that don’t prepare ahead of time or don’t give themselves enough time to strategize are likely to be disappointed when they don’t receive the ROI they were hoping f...
Your company had to transition your exhibit to a virtual environment in 2020 and now with 2021 on the horizon, virtual events will likely be your primary tradeshow and conference strategy. This calls on you to reimagine the trade show booth, find ways to attract people to you, and create calls to action that result in sales leads. And you want to be personal, stand out from the crowd and motivate attendees to engage. We have launched our next eBook series and podcasts: ...
The platform that powers your event can be one of the most critical decisions you make. Picking the wrong platform will leave you frustrated, cost you more in time and money, and underperform. It’s critical that your technology match the size of the audience, the complexity of the event, and your capacity to manage some of the components if needed.I should know because I manage the product and platform that drives Cloud Conventions. Certainly, we are not a perfect technology...
It’s not enough to state that you want to hold a virtual event and make it your primary goal. When you run your company, association or nonprofit, you are clear about who your customers and prospects are, your financial objectives, your position in the marketplace and what makes you successful. Delivering a virtual event should follow that same philosophy. If you fail to understand and set goals and objectives for your event, the focus becomes unclear and it’s virtually impo...
I think all event planners understand conferences, tradeshows and events being planned for the latter part of 2021 and beyond will not look like meetings from the past. Although we’d love for everything to go back the way it was a year ago, returning to live events will be more gradual than we think. A recent Harris poll of 2,000 people revealed that 60% of those polled would not be comfortable in large events and crowds until herd immunity is achieved. Although creating a v...
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