One of the first considerations is whether there is an existing audience who is familiar with your events. If so, recruitment of part or all of this audience to participate in an online event is relatively straightforward. It may simply be a matter of letting people know that they can attend "live" online or view an online archive at any time. People tend to respond very positively to an "add-on" offering where they perceive that the sponsor is offering increased value. For many sponsors this will give the greatest value when costs and benefits are analyzed.

For events that replace an existing in-person meeting, the task of recruiting and motivating an audience to attend requires careful planning based on thorough knowledge of the audience. If prospective attendees feel that they are receiving benefits inferior to what they've received at past in-person meetings, it may be very difficult to effectively deliver content and presentations and create a positive impression of the sponsor. Sponsors who value their audience - employees, partners, customers - will do well to keep the audience experience foremost in their planning. The benefit of reduced cost can make this a very desirable solution. We've consistently delivered online solutions in the range of 5-10% of the cost of previous in-person meetings.

Identifying an audience that has interest and ability to attend is a primary consideration in the creation of a new online event. This will frequently be an audience that has demonstrated interest in the sponsor's online offering. Starting from scratch may involve demographic research to identify prospective attendees. Many times these efforts will parallel other market research or advertising strategies. Once identified, a campaign will be developed to reach out and motivate attendance while building awareness of the sponsor's brand and products or services.

Many times a sponsor will find that asynchronous (on-demand) content will have great value over the long term. Event sponsors can derive great value from simply making their presentations available for online viewing. This is a typical first step for a client who has an existing commitment to in-person meetings or training sessions. The justification is very simple; why throw away the content and presentations so carefully developed at the end of your in-person meeting? You've spent many thousands of dollars in time and services to bring these presentations to a live audience, for a minimal continuing investment you can continue to offer the presentations to new customers, new employees, or attendees who want a refresher on the content.

The next consideration would be what kind of partner or vendor(s) will best support your goals. A services company? Streaming hosting ISP? Content developer? Video production team? Meeting planner? Event manager? IT infrastructure consultant?

Usually a decision will be made based on what the sponsor can provide with in-house resources versus perceived value and credibility of visible vendors. In our view, credibility as demonstrated by past performance is the first consideration. "Can my team effectively work with them?" is a close second. "Do they have the flexibility we need, or are they tied in to a single technology or approach?"

Several phases follow these important steps:

*Discovery of all relevant information about the audience
*Preparation of a detailed plan to develop and deliver all pre-event and event content and materials
*Agreement on measurable criteria for success
*Implementation

The information presented above reflects our measured approach to realizing business value out of online meetings. In the internet world, the audience is king. Creating value for an audience is key to realizing your goals.

Contact us for a consultation on your next event.