Lights, Cameras, Action ? What Kind of Event Support Does Your ...

As communication channels evolve from telephone and paper to the digital world of the Web, organizations large and small are exploring digital pathways for bringing teams together internally. Businesses are also leveraging the power of digital communication to share information externally and generate market awareness. ?Web conferences offer the ability to share information in groups of all sizes and across a wide range of participants, from internal teams of co-workers and colleagues to external groups of suppliers and customers.

Organizations are increasingly discovering the benefits of hosting webinars to communicate product information, conduct market sensing, and develop brand awareness. ?These events are gaining in popularity, as the number of events grew at a substantial 24.5 percent in 2011. Key trends that support this growth are the increase in content development and syndication across media, such as company and industry Web sites, as well as the penetration of content across social media and mobile devices.

In terms of hosted events, a large Web conference provides an opportunity for organizations to reach a wider, more diverse audience. These events are often delivered via audio, Web and video conferencing.

Managing the lifecycle of the large Web event

While the event itself is an obvious part of an event strategy, proper planning and project management of the event are also required to make it successful. A comprehensive event solution offers the additional support needed for the planning, management, and delivery of web events through an integrated audio, Web, video conferencing platform.

With a full palette of features and capabilities in event offerings, it?s important to look for features that best fit the needs of the business. Common features include a whiteboard for sharing and editing of documents, application sharing, and the ability to conduct polls, surveys, or a Web tour.

Since an event has a life before, during, and after it occurs, businesses should consider an event offering that supports the entire event lifecycle. Features to look for include the following:

BEFORE?

• E-mail marketing that drives an audience to your event.
• Custom registration pages that collect key data on your attendees
• Automated event confirmations and reminders to increase event attendance.

DURING?

• A professional moderator to host the conference
• The ability to list participant names for all to see, or withhold them from view.
• An interactive white board that participants can write or draw on, or point to an area of a document being discussed.
• Muting of individual audio, muting of all by the host.
• A panorama of features for comprehensive meeting environments.

AFTER?

• Access to post-event recordings and collateral that continue attracting visitors to your site.
• Analytic capabilities for measuring the ROI and evaluating the overall success of the event.
• Tracking and detailed reports to help you analyze ROI

?

Production matters ? Another step toward a successful event

How an event is received depends largely on its production. The ability to manage unexpected interruptions is important. So is a smooth transition from the presentation to a moderated question and answer session.? Key production needs range from content preparation, scripting, and rehearsal, to on-air event moderation, to archiving and on-demand replay.

An integrated audio, web, and video conferencing solution can facilitate improved communication and collaboration in forums large and small. You can expand your reach while reducing travel and overall costs ? all while engaging participants around the corner and around the globe with rich content. This seamless exchange of ideas and information can deepen your business?s pool of possibilities for new opportunities.

Have you recently participated in a large Web conference? What features and capabilities of the event service were most important to your event experience? Has your business begun conducting Web-based events? What are some of the challenges and benefits you?ve seen?

Source: http://networkingexchangeblog.att.com/enterprise-business/lights-cameras-action-what-kind-of-event-support-does-your-business-need/

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