Skinny jeans. "Paris Hilton" sunglasses. Manolo Blahniks. For every mega trend that rocks the fashion world, a quieter but no less powerful one shapes the conference and expo circuit. The hottest event trends for summer 2007 are social networking, virtual conferencing, consolidation, industry partnerships and, of course, the little black dress of speaking opportunities – real customers.
We're already grabbing speaking slots for 2008. A look at upcoming conference agendas suggests these trends may endure for a few more seasons at least.
The social networking revolution
Blogging has added a whole new dimension to speaking opportunities. Typically, a speaker travels to a conference, delivers the presentation and gets it posted to the conference and/or company Web site. Now, presentations have legs beyond the podium. With the advent of blogs, speakers have additional opportunities to promote their message.
Bloggers are attending conferences and writing about the sessions in real time. Just recently, Nick Fera, CEO of Parlano, spoke at Enterprise 2.0. His panel session was highlighted in five different blogs, including this one written by Michael Sampson, the principal advisor at Collaboration Success Advisors, Ltd.
Some events are also adding podcasts to their event sites to supplement the conference content and discussions taking place on the show floor. Interop Las Vegas 2007 posted a number of podcasts, where attendees can get additional information on some of the hot topics covered, or those unable to attend the event can get background on what they missed.
Virtual conferences
This isn't a significant trend yet, but it's one worth watching. If companies have to cut back on tradeshow spending and travel budgets and attendance is affected, virtual conferences may become a more legitimate way for interested attendees to participate without the hefty price tag.
Wireless Week has been hosting its online Wireless Expo for several years now, and it's had a successful following. The event offers everything an attendee would find at a traditional show, including interactive exhibits, two conference tracks and keynote interviews. Attendees enjoy the show from their computer desktop, and registration is free.
Some skeptics say part of the appeal of a live tradeshow and conference is the face-to-face interaction with clients, prospects and peers. Jeffrey Sklaver, senior vice president of TeleStrategies, Inc. said, "I think a lot of companies are playing with the idea of virtual conferences, but I don't know any that have worked thus far. The problem with these are, of course, you can't press any flesh which is a big reason people come to shows."
We may see this change with the emergence of Web 2.0 and sites like Second Life, the 3D virtual world where people live imaginary lives. Through avatars, or digital human models, people can attend conferences and interact with speakers and attendees as if they are actually presenting at the event. In May 2007, nearly 1,300 educators from around the world gathered online at the Second Life Best Practices in Education: Teaching, Learning, and Research 2007 International Conference. This was the first 24 hour, international conference ever to take place entirely within a virtual world. Attendees received free registration, with financial support coming from the sponsors. The second conference is already being planned for 2008.
Customers or cash
Now, more than ever, companies want to speak at vertical events where there is a specific, targeted audience. Conferences in these markets – particularly financial services, healthcare and retail – have always preferred some level of customer participation. It's becoming increasingly more difficult for technology solution providers to get involved in the conference programs for events in these markets, even as co-presenters. The conference organizers and attendees want to hear only from the customer.
In the few instances where vendors are included on a vertical conference program, they typically must pay for a spot. Even then, the show will ask them to include a customer co-presenter.
It's important for companies to get their customers involved in their speaking programs. The best way to validate your message and get others interested in your product offerings is to have one of your customers tell their story. There are also many benefits to the customer presenter: visibility for their company; a way to position their company as leader in its field, using the latest technology to improve business, processes and/or service; a vehicle to sell-back the technology investment to management; and the occasion to demonstrate technical savvy to peers. The good news for technology vendors is that this more indirect approach is perceived as more credible by attendees.
Events joining forces
A number of reputable events have recently announced their plans to co-locate by holding their events during the same time, at the same venue. Manufacturing Week 2007 now includes Assembly Technology Expo, Electronics Assembly Show, PLASTEC and Quality Expo all under one roof. The SD (Software Development) Best Practices show is co-locating with Embedded Systems, RFID World and the .NET Roadshow at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston this fall. InfoComm and NXTcomm will be joining forces in Las Vegas 2008, as will Interop 2008 and Software 2008.
Some see the integration of events as an economic move. For others, it's a way to provide a single stage for business technology solutions and share audiences that have similar or overlapping interests.
Tamara Carter Sriram, the conference director of the Software Technology Group at CMP Technology said, "Part of our decision to co-locate [SD Best Practices, ESC, RFID World and the .NET Roadshow] was based on reaching out to audiences that do overlap in interest, but it's also a result of the difficulty of securing venues. To book more than 18 months out (and get good dates), you need a certain number of room nights, etc. to secure space."
Associating with the associations
Some professional organizations and associations are aligning themselves with established trade events to provide educational content. NXTcomm is a great example of this, because the 2007 event had more than 10 conference affiliates, including The International Engineering Consortium (IEC), The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) and BICSI, a telecommunications association. They each developed their own conference agenda with specific areas of interest.
Potential speakers and their PR representatives should keep this in mind and consider opportunities that may exist with professional associations and membership organizations, whether it's those that host programs at larger tradeshows, or produce their own events. According to a survey conducted by EXPO Magazine and Exhibit Surveys Inc. in February 2007, associations average 86 educational sessions on a conference program, while for-profits average 52. This means more potential speaking opportunities in front of even more targeted audiences.
- Kim Orso and Jennifer Leclerc, co-directors of the Beaupre Speakers Bureau
