Eighteen days ago. I was on LinkedIn yesterday and there, under the WordPress section of my profile, those three words jumped off the screen: 18 days ago! 

Yup, it’s been that long since my last blog post. Oh the humanity! By blogger standards, that’s a lifetime ago and I accept any criticism that might come my way as a result of such poor form. How could I have possibly gone under for so long?  Well, I’ve been taking British Airways’ advice (http://businessgrants.ba.com/) and spending as much time as possible over the past couple of weeks to “Be There Face to Face” with clients, prospects, vendor partners, and peers. That’s entailed a lot of meetings and networking, and a good amount of travel. All great stuff, but it did take me away from my day-to-day duties…and my blog, for sure. 

So why the sudden push to “get out there?” Did I have some leftover travel budget to spend before the year is out? Yes, but what really drove me was a deep desire to re-connect and re-kindle relationships with the people who allow my business to exist, and who help make me better at my job. 

We’ve all been waiting for the “Great Recession” to end. Waiting for cutbacks on spending and travel to be loosened. Waiting for telltale signs that it’s OK to get back to business. I decided that I wanted out of the “let’s wait and see” bunker; I wanted to stop worrying about the future of my business and start shaping it. 

Of course, many of you have been turning to social media for quite some time now to bypass the bunker, to share ideas and build relationships. I’ve blazed trails in many areas…social media isn’t one of them. Truth be told, I was dragged into it kicking and screaming. Still, I do understand its appeal as well as its power. 

Because my objective was to activate new business, it seemed natural that I would take the time to meet with folks face to face. And I’m glad I did. I put faces to the names of some new clients, offering up a smile and a handshake in the flesh. My team shared a room with our client’s executive team and participated in high-level strategy and creative brainstorming sessions. What a huge benefit to hear information unfiltered, “read” body language, measure instant reactions to ideas, and witness firsthand decision makers processing information (vs. interpreting “pregnant” pauses over the phone). To be able to influence new business opportunities and realize heightened credibility and deepened partnerships from such real-time collaboration…priceless.

Before I stand accused of “denouncing” online communications in favor of face-to-face meetings, let me be clear. It all boils down to objectives. In my case, I needed face time with people to accomplish what I was looking to do. As to the ongoing argument of virtual events vs. face-to-face events, I believe both have a role, and they can complement each other.

For weeks I’ve been spreading the word with clients and vendors alike about employing social media and virtual events to not just extend audience reach and leverage tight budgets, but to enhance live meetings and events. While I am relatively new to the world of virtual event technologies, I am a veteran of bringing brands to life and moving people to action through engaging, relevant, and memorable audience experiences.  Anything that can further that mission will always find room in my tool kit.

The corporate meeting and events industry has continually re-invented itself through the years, but now the canvas has truly been wiped clean. What an exciting time for creators of brand experiences! It’s amazing that when fears dissipate, opportunities emerge. Yes, it’s good to be out of the bunker.

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.