Include:
Tech
Cybersecurity
Business Strategy
Channel Insights
Stay Connected
Acer America
Acer America Corp. is a computer manufacturer of business and consumer PCs, notebooks, ultrabooks, projectors, servers, and storage products.

Location

333 West San Carlos Street
San Jose, California 95110
United States

WWW: acer.com

ChannelPro Network Awards

hello 2
hello 3

News

December 13, 2010 |

Virtual Conferencing in Pajamas: The Success of Virtual Events and Tradeshows

According to a recent survey by ON24, virtual tradeshows and conferences are becoming increasingly popular as virtual conferencing has become the preferred mode of networking for executives. By Elaine J. Hom

By Elaine J. Hom

Based on the results of the latest survey conducted by ON24, Inc., a webcasting and virtual event vendor, 27 percent of executives have networked in their underwear (or at least pajamas) and 92 percent of executives hate traveling. More than 2,000 executives were polled on the advantages of virtual conferencing over traditional physical trade shows and conventions.

More executives than ever before prefer virtual shows because they can attend from their computers without wasting time and money on travel and lodging.† With the recent TSA pat-down controversy and holiday-related travel delays, people are even less willing to travel. And attending an event via computer means that an executive can multi-task, rather than waste an entire workday—sometimes multiple workdays—on a single event.

Many major channel vendors hold events virtually. Cisco, for example, offers several virtual conferencing options for global partners, including its Cisco Industry Solutions Partner Network (ISPN), which launched in 2007. The ISPN is an interactive tradeshow where partners can collaborate and network 24 hours, 7 days a week. Cisco also experimented with a Second Life-type play called Cisco Virtual Campus, involving customized avatars, and has been known to release products via collaborative online video events. The online environment gives partners a bolstered confidence when asking questions during a virtual trade show webcast, too–without a face to the question, the question-asker becomes more anonymous and thus more likely to ask tough questions.

There are a number of professional reasons that executives prefer virtual shows, including:

•†††††† 66 percent appreciate the ability to reach people all over the globe anytime

•†††††† 55 percent like the ability to multi-task

•†††††† 54 percent like the ability to send or forward presentations to other colleagues

•†††††† 41 percent prefer the ability to find the right people with whom to network

•†††††† 25 percent like the ability to “tweet” or use LinkedIn

There were also several personal reasons executives cited for preferring virtual shows over traditional physical trade shows and conventions, including:

•†††††† 67 percent felt more empowered to “talk” to anyone

•†††††† 65 percent liked that they could leave presentations early without appearing rude

•†††††† 28 percent said a key benefit is not getting “roped into” awkward social encounters

•†††††† 27 percent cited the ability to attend in their pajamas or underwear

•†††††† 25 percent liked that they could avoid annoying people

These survey results also indicate that companies that previously couldn’t afford to hold expensive on-site events can now offer virtual networking events. For example, IT service providers could announce a new type of product or service via an interactive virtual conference with customers and potential customers. IT service providers could also educate clients and customers via virtual events, boosting knowledge of hot technology trends and how clients might benefit. However, 68 percent of respondents prefer a virtual event featuring an industry luminary, so keep that in mind when planning a virtual event.


Editor’s Choice

MSP360 Bolsters Managed Backup Solution With Full Sharepoint Backup and Restore, Object Lock, and More

March 25, 2024 |

MSP360 CEO Brian Helwig details the latest improvements in its managed backup solutions and teases some new opportunities down the road for its partners in an exclusive ChannelPro interview.

Peer to Peer: Aurora’s Philip de Souza shares his secrets to creating a successful MSSP

March 19, 2024 | Philip de Souza

“It’s important that we understand when it comes to this whole MSP world that it’s all about the customer.”

Evolving State AI Regulations: Best Practices for Mitigating Risk

March 14, 2024 | Anurag Lal

While AI technologies can unlock tremendous business value, they also have potential risks.


Related News

Growing the MSP

Explore ChannelPro

Events

Reach Our Audience