Completely agree with Ian, events are becoming (have become) the start or conclusion to a year long conversation. Social tools (F2F or Virtual) enhance that.

And Chris’ comment is also spot on. The challenge we seem to be facing right now is not the collection, or even the distribution of all that wealth of data, but the actual USE of it.

Our clients have time and again asked us to help them understand and put tactics in place for leveraging all of that knowledge. That’s has turned into a series of white papers and case studies related to ROA (Return on Action) against the simple measurement of ROI.

Of all the things I heard, David’s #8 about this being a ‘new medium with new requirements’ is exactly the issue the events industry should be tackling. I know that a lot of the eventprofs discussion centers on this ‘new way’, (a good example is the Virtual Event tools at ECTC2010).

So, digital tools are not just a better way for doing things . . . they provide an entirely new way to look at and accomplish things. We now have an opportunity to invent a whole new way of doing things without being tied to the past and while potentially panic-inducing, it’s also very, very exciting!

Thanks for stopping by Chris. I like #6 as well.

These are great points, Ian. We will have to get you on the show sometime to elaborate on these ideas.

Chris Atkinson
StudioPMG
An event marketing agency
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