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October 26, 2020 • Issue 20:10:02

Insights from the digital

conference trenches – Part 1

Jodie Kelley, CEO of the Electronic Transactions Association,
grappled early on with the gulf between online and in-
person interactions. "Figuring out how to engage in dialog
virtually is obviously so different and not nearly as easy as
it is in person," she said. "And this encompasses more than
what we have learned from planning virtual shows. We
have also seen an entire ecosystem grow up around these
virtual events, with entirely new platforms that didn't exist
before the pandemic, that are being improved upon every
day."
Shorten talks

Konstantinos Papakonstantinou, founder and CEO of
Board Studios Inc., found that overlapping virtual events
have pressured executives in diverse industries, who
struggle with conference fatigue and too many demands
on their attention. "In the past few months, we've seen an
explosion of virtual events and digital-first content," he
By Dale S. Laszig said. "Audiences are tired and don't have the time to engage
with all of the companies targeting them."
usinesses across the globe used digital plat-
forms to augment in-person interactions for Papakonstantinou also noted that large-scale events
years before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a with free admission and lower ticket prices may attract
B dramatic pivot to virtual formats. In the pay- thousands of sign-ups, but the number of attendees who
ments industry, in-person tradeshows had been a mainstay show up and engage tends to be smaller than the number of
for decades. Not knowing yet whether virtual formats registrants. This underscores the importance of delivering
could measure up, organizers reinvented industry events tremendous value and tightly edited sessions, he stated.
with characteristic gusto.

Issue 20:06:01 of The Green Sheet examined the industry's
early virtual conference experiences in "The show must go
online." In this series, industry leaders share what they've Contributed articles inside by:
learned from hosting virtual conferences to date and how
they plan to improve future online events.
Simon Fairbairn .....................................................................................19
While virtual conferences will never fully replace on-site Marc Beauchamp ..................................................................................24
shows, executives interviewed agree that online events
are redefining networking and deal-making in the digital Bill Pirtle ...................................................................................................26
age. At issue is how to make them more engaging while
combating a new syndrome: virtual conference fatigue. TOC on page 3

Continued on page 22