When we last left off, I was heading to a conference in Chicago. Back for just over a week, this is the first chance I’ve had to sit down and pen my thoughts on the experience. It seems that the simple act of my leaving town has resulted in a sudden flurry of new business activity here at Impact Productions. (Note to self:  get out of Dodge more often!)

The seminar, I am happy to report, was well worth the travel and expense. I was re-energized by the opportunity to network with peers, and truly inspired by some great content — which focused on industry trends, emerging event technologies, and case studies of winning event marketing strategies by top brands.

Am I at all surprised that I got more charge out of this in-person training session than I did from the webinar I attended the week before? No. I was fully engaged, and took part in peer meetings and brainstorming sessions you simply cannot replicate online. And I think most people would agree there is no substitute for face-to-face time with a presenter.  Face to face, after all, is still the best way to interact, share ideas, and build relationships.

That is the very message of British Airways’ new ad campaign targeting business travelers. Aptly themed, “Be there face-to-face,” the multi-phased program focuses on the importance of face time with regard to building relationships that help grow businesses. To date, this has largely been the stuff of event industry publications. It is truly validating and beyond exciting that a mega brand such as British Airways is spreading the word – and citing real-world examples and compelling stats – on the power of face-to-face meetings via mainstream advertising. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/business/media/
26adnewsletter1.html?_r=1)

So it’s official then?  In the “virtual vs. live event” debate, live wins every time, right?  And virtual events will go down as a short-lived fad of this not so short-lived recession?  Not exactly.  Virtual communications, while allowing marketers and planners to bridge the gap during these challenging times of budget cuts and restricted travel, have proven to be a very effective tool to help extend audience reach, maximize costs, and increase ROI.  Online event technologies are now officially part of the event marketer’s tool kit – and they are not going away any time soon.

Many marketing and event professionals agree that live (or physical) events and virtual meetings will live side-by-side.  And progressive brands are already integrating virtual components into their face-to-face events, producing what are known as “hybrid events.”  According to Miguel Arias, Director + Partner at Imaste IPS, a recruitment services agency based in Madrid, “Hybrid events will become a natural trend in 2010.” (Read his full comments in response to my October 2 blog, “Can Live Meetings Really Be Replaced by Virtual Meetings?” and check out his company’s valuable findings on virtual meetings at http://blog.imaste-ips.com.)

Going forward, the meeting and events industry will indeed be about live events and virtual events building upon each other to help drive bottom-line results. And I believe that those brands that exploit these synergies and embrace a strategic mix of face to face, online, and hybrid event solutions, will be better positioned to reach their customers and communicate with their stakeholders. 

The challenge is discerning when to employ face to face and when to deploy technology, and how to create relevant, authentic, and engaging hybrid experiences. I have a feeling brand marketers are up for the task. I know I am.

Sheila Stack

Thanks for joining us. I’m Sheila Stack, Founder and President of Impact Productions – and I’m a champion of the power of live events.

Check in here to engage your brain toward the pursuit of making business meetings more meaningful, driving home your message and making it resonate beyond the flight home.

That’s what we do here. We bring your audience all the way in. We take their experience beyond what they expect. We take your brand and place it center stage, creating emotional connections with your people at every turn giving it…well, impact.

Here we’ll address hot topics in the meetings and events industry…I’m sure you’ve noticed there are a lot of them right now. What are the challenges we’re facing, how are we rallying to overcome them – at what cost, and to what degree of success? We’ll also look at what folks in our industry are doing to make corporate events more memorable. What fresh ideas are out there, and what trends are shaping our industry going forward?

Let me tell you, we at Impact Productions love this business to the core. Do we necessarily love the overnight load-ins, eating in 60 seconds flat between general sessions, going for days on coffee and energy bars? No, we’re not that crazy; but we do embrace it. Pride and joy, after all, comes from experience. (For the record, and speaking for myself, I do actually thrive on all of the above working conditions!)

I sincerely hope Impact’s fervor comes through in this blog. I want you not just to hear what I say, but to feel it with me. That’s important, because that’s our signature: connecting with audiences on a deeper level. We arouse thoughts. We move people. It’s no longer enough for your audience to have something to see and hear; they have to feel it, they have to believe.

The Power of LIVE in action

That connection… that’s live branding done well. That’s Impact Productions. This is our journey. It’s good to have you along.