Virtual now part of show

摘要

Portfolio management software company Planview stepped into the virtual events arena in 2009 when the financial crisis threatened to gut its annual face-to-face user conference. "Our customers didn't have the funding to get there," said Kimberly Stone, manager-Web and creative services. ''We didn't want to not have it at all, and a lot of the value comes from them getting together and exchanging best practices and tips. Webcasts would not replace the event." Planview developed an online conference that attracted a record number of attendees; but, in the end, the format did not prove to be a good match for its goals. The company developed content for live and on-demand sessions, and built a Meet the Expert feature that offered one-on-one chatting sessions at the expense of upgraded phone lines and the transport of experts to man those lines. "We were trying to match [our physical event] one-to-one," Stone said.