Quick Thoughts on Virtual Events
- It’s not just a virtual world, it’s a virtual-virtual world! In other words, before only the audience was virtual—now the presenters have to be, too. This means that there’s lots of “virtual events best practice” that no longer applies… Most people’s homes are not set up as a TV studio (my attic turns out to be an exception!)
- It’s not really a presentation problem, it’s an audience problem. It’s easier than ever to make noise, harder than ever to get listened to. A deluge of digital is coming down the pipeline: how does any one event stand out?
- That said, it ups the game: at a physical event, people are more or less stuck, no matter how boring. But in cyberspace every other possible distraction (including family “co-workers"!) is always just one click away. The content has to be GREAT (not necessarily slick! — useful / interesting / relevant / entertaining / thought-provoking are all more important.)
- When everything is digital, what’s the difference between an “online event” and a web page? (it has to be about live content, and above all interactivity and community)
- All the content has to be “with people” not “at people”, i.e. facilitate the co-creation of content between the host and the attendees – maybe even to the point of the agenda? (so called “unconferences”). This means giving up more control!
- Products like Zoom offer breakout rooms, allowing more of a workshop approach rather than lectures. More interactive, more involving, these approaches are already proving to be better choices (with reports of even full-day virtual sessions being rewarding).
- Real-world stories from the people doing the actual implementing / using will be more important than ever.
- Technology deep-dives / how-to / demos etc. can work really well online. Can we expect Twitch channels for enterprise software?
- New business models need to be worked out. Attendees are ready to pay for real-world conferences, not so much for virtual conferences. Ditto sponsors: what’s the new equivalent of a tradeshow booth?
- As / when we come out of this, I predict we’ll see the rise of more hybrid online/physical, global/local (“glocal?”) events, where experts are beamed in from elsewhere to a smaller audience, with local host)
Business Technology Platform Specialist - Public Sector at SAP
5 年I like the thinking behind this Timo. Very useful
Moving Innovation | Co-Creating Culture | Black Forest meets Silicon Valley
5 年Great post! > Technology deep-dives / how-to / demos etc. can work really well online. Can we expect Twitch channels for enterprise software?? Well, DJ Adams ???? was doing 48 Enterprise Development session on Twitch last year already. https://www.twitch.tv/qmacro99 Those development management folks at SAP always on the cutting edge :-) He moved to YouTube this year. One of the reasons being that at some clients Twitch is blocked and YouTube isn't. He can elaborate more.
AI Officer - EMEA at SAP
5 年Great advice!