Does anyone have any real evidence that face to face attendance shrunk at a meeting BECAUSE there was an online option to attend?
There is no real evidence out there that I can find to support it, yet many people still think that putting video content from an event online will convince attendees not to attend because "they'll just get it online." This is a big fear, but is it justified? Is there a worthwhile trade off to the extended reach that an online event provides even if it reduces the likelihood that people will show up for the face to face equivalent?
Thoughts? Examples? Data? Anyone?
Answers (12)
Africa H.
Search Engine Marketing Strategist
Best Answers in: Internet Marketing (3), Branding (1), Starting Up (1)
I would like to know this as well but I feel like nothing can replace face to face interaction and that eventually individuals would want to actually attend in person.
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Pete T.
Exec. Vice Pres at 911/wtcFirst RespondersFoundation
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Steve, In my opinion there really can't be any way to "correctly" arrive at that evidence. Here-say at best, and human nature being what it is...... I'm not sure "actual testmonial" would be any truer than the hear-say. lol.
I can tell you that I believe most people have an "emotional" chord to their actions. Being in the moment with the event is "different" than watching the rerun. Live Broadway vs. movie rental.... Even the popcorn doesn't taste as good.
All senses in play are much better than "eyes" or "ears"!
I think you use the video online as a phase two. Just for those who really couldn't attend. There should be a primary reason not to miss the event. Possibly a added value, or bonus for attending. It needs to be powerful enough to take away that "I don't really need to attend" possibility. Many event people will sell up the networking opportunities, the one on one possibilities with presenters and/or the chance to get "special materials not available anywhere else.
After the event you can resend to "everyone" (attendee or not) and offer the refresher for free access to the attendee by "entering your ticket stub", and a undetermined amount for those who couldn't make it..... Or whatever makes sense.
Hope this helps
William 'Bill' H.
Marketing / Communications Manager at Max Daetwyler Corporation
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Trade Show attendance has been declining for many years, primarily because of economics. The decision makers still attend for face-to-face discussions but many of the influencers may not be able to go so an on-line alternative is a good idea. This allows those who aren't allowed to go to see what is being offered and shown at the show. The key ingredient for success of on-line trade shows is participation by the exhibiting companies. If the on-line venue is offered as part of the exhibitor's package (no additional cost), then the likelihood of then having a 'virtual booth' is enhanced.
I haven’t seen any studies that support your question but if a company has an on-line presence and their competitors do not, then the one who does have a virtual booth will be in a better position to reach more decision makers/influencers than someone who only has a booth.
Stephen H.
Digital General Contractor: Strategy, Advice and Talent Acquisition: From Idea to Action.
there is nothing like being there... but for the last Web 2.0 conference in NYC... i felt like i was there... watching from home. and adding twitter comments to #web20 - you might have thought i was in the hallways.
some shows have a natural decline - i would say depends on the event. I have noticed dramatic fall off in the Search Engine Strategies meeting in NYC and Web 2,0/Interop.
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I would suggest that in-person attendance would remain the same, and the total (online and offline) audience would be larger. Participants who lived/worked out of town may not travel for a short meeting, and chose to attend online. It would depend on the distance of the drive/travel, and the engagement of the participant. A highly engaged participant would make the effort to attend, a moderately engaged person may choose the online version. So...I think your reach is broader offering both alternatives. This has not been empirically tested and the results published to my knowledge, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of the large research organizations have this data.
Yes, the BEST example is College online.
Christine Elaine S.
Entrepreneur, Paralegal, Foreclosure Defense Expert
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I used to host networking events and seminars and in 2009 it became increasingly difficult to get people to show up in person for events. I personally think that social media has been the best thing to happen to my business -- I don't need to attend anything in person because social media brings me all the leads instead of me having to find them.
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Wayne S.
Owner of Octane Interactive
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Wayne S. suggests this expert on this topic:
Jeremy is a speaker and presenter, so if anyone knows, he does...
Anechdotally I've noticed that more people participate if there is an online option to attend. With a local industry meeting I have noticed that people who can't make a meeting- due to sickness or schedule- but can participate don't miss out and end up engaging the community even more through social media.
I've also seen it as a great way to bring more people into the meeting. People get a taste of the meeting online and then want to come in person next time.
It is not too difficult for event organizers to convince attendees to attend an online event today for various reasons. Although, it is hard to get "evidence" the virtual events industry has grown tremendously. This growth is mainly attributed to the fact that a virtual event has no boundaries and can hence reach a larger audience. Also, these events are driving significant ROI.
Integration of Social Media brings the event to life. Tools like twitter hash tags does encourage audience participation and interaction. Although virtual, you can come up with a good and solid before, during and after event strategy to keep the audience engaged.
Although, virtual events will never completely replace face to face events, they will will continue to grow simply because of the ROI they generate.
Hope this help !
Hi Steve - this is just our experience (full disclosure: I work for a webcasting firm) but we've see increases in attendance both on-site and online when there's an online option. It happened with our own user conference last year (see post below, we ended up winning Forrester award for the results). I just heard today from one of our clients EDUCAUSE that they are up 10% in on-site attendance, and they are actually making all the sessions available online for free (see catalog and twitter stream below). I have other anecdotal examples like this but have yet to see published research.
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Cece S.
Director of Marketing, Events at The Active Network
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While there has been no study done to date on this topic, the anecdotal stories I've seen have indicated that a virtual component helps increase your audience. For instance, Cisco Live Networkers Virtual attracted 55% first time attendees. They found the virtual event as a good way to expose people to the content and event, thereby driving interest for these individuals to attend the physical event.
Another example is how PennWell staggered their physical and virtual events for their Fire Department Instructors Conference. What they've seen is that a department may send fewer members to the physical event, but will have more people go to the virtual event for the education. Furthermore, with the hectic schedules, the fire service professionals could access the content at their leisure. This strategy resulted in a very engaged audience (nearly 6 hours) and 8 minutes speaking to exhibitors.
These are just two examples. I've included links to the Cisco blog detailing results and the FDIC case study (Note: Both virtual events were powered by InXpo).
