Guest Post: Virtual is Good, but Face to Face has Plenty of Value!

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Guest Post By:
Filippo Ciampini, Marketing Specialist
Active Network |Events

Filippo Campini, Marketing Specialist for Active Network, Events, is today’s guest writer. He is based out of the Active Network London office, and recently attended the Exhibition for the Incentive Business Travel and Meetings (EIBTM)  trade show in Barcelona, connecting travel trade exhibitors, meeting professionals, corporate incentive and hosted buyers. Additionally,  Active Network entered the competition for Best Technology company and came in among the top 5.

EIBTM is a great example of the importance of face to face events.  I personally don’t believe in the discussions about the ways virtual technology may lead to the extinction of events which meet face to face.

From all over the world, virtual and social technology allows people to connect and interact like never before, helping to eradicate geographical and cultural barriers.

Last year, I had my first exchange of tweets with American and European #eventprofs from the Active Network London office. In the following months, a tweet became an email, the email became a video-call on Skype, and shortly after, I felt the need to meet those professionals in person. That opportunity presented itself in Barcelona, at EIBTM; what a  great example of how an interaction started and nurtured online, led me to attend the physical event. The opportunity to sit next to people from our industry, have a chat, discuss new projects, and the possibility of future collaboration, makes the physical  event an essential part of our business. As discussed with many #eventprofs previously, virtual can never replace the networking aspect of the live event. Furthermore, content is a crucial consideration for event organizers, however nowadays most content is accessible online for free. Event organizers must be very smart in the way they choose the content, the speakers and the format of their sessions.

EIBTM had a number of highlights, which made the event worth attending.  The first, was a  two -day Association Program designed by William Thomson, Owner of Gallus Events. The event architect succeeded in designing, through a mix of traditional and more innovative formats, an engaging and interactive conference which received some great feedback from delegates. (If you would like to read more about the formats used I strongly recommend you read Michael Heipel’s blog post: Maximizing the Power of Events: EIBTM 2011 Association program Review. )

Another highlight of EIBTM 2011 was this year’s focus on event technology. Through the Technology Village area, the announcement of the Technology Watch finalists, and the educational sessions, all benefited an industry that is starting to adopt and appreciate  the role of technology in the promotion, management and measurement of events.

Industry thought leaders, Michelle Bruno and Corbin Ball, pose for a picture.

On a similar note, Active Network was nominated as one of the  Top 5 Event Technology Companies in the world (out of 56!). We entered the competition knowing that we were going to ‘duel’ against trends like RFID and NFC technology, but we wanted to highlight the importance of measuring the ROI of physical events.

We entered with our ActiveEvents Insight iPad application for event organizers.   The app allows event organizers to review all activity which takes place at the event in real time we call this “the attendee journey”. From the point of registration to session attendance, survey results, scheduled meetings and leads generated, the organizer is able to see a complete and holistic picture of overall event metrics and individual behaviors. This information is accessible on the move through a tablet, allowing the organizer the freedom to move around and most importantly react to the information they receive instantly. The features of this application have been described as the ‘Holy Grail’ of every event organizer by event guru Michelle Bruno Founder and CEO of the Bruno Group.

Written By: Michelle Nikolayevsky