Business-to-Business Internet Marketing, Fourth Edition - Lifecycle ...

Developing and Hosting the Internet Event
Using Internet Events for Marketing 145
Before you rush off to cancel all of your live seminar programs, do
yourself a favor: Test the online event on a limited basis with your target
audiences. Admittedly, it is almost a no-brainer when it comes to
comparing the costs/results from an online seminar to that of a live
seminar program. A seminar held on the Web looks like the clear winner,
but although the Internet event may seem to hold great promise, it
is important to know if your audience will be accepting of this new
marketing format.
Today, the Internet event seems to have its greatest appeal for audiences
such as technical professionals—IT managers, networking managers,
software developers, and the like—but as Internet usage increases,
usage of Internet events is steadily increasing. As a result, such events
could become attractive replacements for live events targeting any business
audience.
The Internet event should also be a particularly attractive venue for
senior executives, who often do not have the time to attend an event in
person. If you want to reach a high-level audience via the Internet, compare
the pros and cons of a virtual event to these other live formats:
The Teleconference, or Teleforum. This format is basically a seminar
held via the telephone. It typically lasts about an hour, rather
than the traditional half-day event, and is offered early in the
morning so that executives can grab a cup of coffee and listen,
perhaps with The Wall Street Journal at hand, before the responsibilities
of the day distract them. With the right speakers and
topic, the teleforum is a very powerful format—perhaps even more
attractive than virtual events for high-level decision makers. If
appropriate, teleforums can be enhanced by directing the listener
to a URL to view Web-based content during the event.
The Executive Roundtable or Briefing. This variation of the seminar
is a small live event with a restricted invitation list. It is usually
open to senior executives by invitation only from the
sponsoring company’s CEO. The executive roundtable is positioned
as an opportunity to participate in a discussion with peers.
Sometimes the invitation to such an event is as exclusive as the
event itself—it may be engraved, hand addressed, or even include
an executive gift.