VES 2012 Media Resource Center

Welcome to the Virtual Edge Summit 2012 (January 9-11, 2012, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego or virtually) 

For information about media partnerships, please contact Denise Lee at dlee@virtualedge.org.
Virtual Edge Summit

 About Virtual Edge Summit

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About Virtual Edge Summit 2012

WHAT: The Virtual Edge Summit 2012 addresses how to successfully leverage virtual technology for associations, events, learning and business. The includes 30-plus educational sessions and workshops on digital solutions for events, meetings, learning and community. The Virtual Edge Summit 2012 will be co-located with the Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) 2012 Annual Meeting, Convening Leaders, which brings together more than 3,000 meetings professionals to discuss issues impacting the meetings, convention and exhibition industry.

WHEN: January 9-11, 2012

WHERE: The in-person Summit takes place at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA, with select sessions and keynotes streamed live. The registration cost is $595 for in person and $195 for a virtual pass which grants access to the 10 live streaming sessions and archive access to the entire conference. Those who register before November 15, 2011, can register at $495 in person and  $125 virtual.

Follow the conversation on Twitter by following @virtualedge or the hashtag #VES12

WHO: The Summit will bring together visionary speakers from Fortune 500 organizations, association and publishers.

WHY: According to the The Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy study (by PwC US, February 2011), the U.S. meetings industry directly contributes $263 billion in spending. Now consider this. With the rise in event technology, the virtual conference and trade show market has the potential to be a $18.6 billion in 2010-2015 (Market Research Media) and adoption is only growing:

  • Center for Exhibition Industry Research Virtual Events Report (June 2011): More than a majority of past (59%) and future virtual event organizers (65%) say their virtual events are affiliated with a physical event
  • The Future of Business Environments (May 2011): Of 550 marketers surveyed, predict hybrid (part physical, part virtual) events will represent at least half of all events in the next five years

The Virtual Edge Institute is the only organization dedicated to advancing the development and adoption of virtual event and meeting technology and best practices for collaboration and marketing. It does this by supporting and contributing research, education, thought leadership, promotion, and professional networking. VEI members help set the direction for the virtual events and meeting industry and create significant business opportunities, solutions and advantages for all. Members have access to various services and deliverables based on their membership level. Learn more at www.virtualedgeinstitute.com

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MEDIA PASSES: Qualified members of the media are eligible for a complimentary press pass to Virtual Edge Summit 2012 and PCMA Convening Leaders 2012. In addition to attending the Summit in-person in San Diego or accessing to the live streaming sessions, members of the media will also have full access to the VES 2012 session archives.

To Redeem your FREE Press Pass send an email to info@virtualedge.org. Include the following information: Name, Email, Twitter ID, Outlet or Blog URL, and preference to attend in person or virtually. VEI will notify you if you have been confirmed as a member of the press and forward a confirmation email.

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Logos/Images

Virtual Edge Summit Logo – www.virtualedgesummit.com

Virtual Edge Summit


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Other Resources

General Event and Conference Industry Stats

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2011 Virtual and Hybrid Events Stats

infographic - face-to-face and virtual evens.

  • Business Motivations and Social Behaviors of In-Person and Online Events (Virtual Edge Institute, Professional Convention Management Association, UBM Studios, July 2011) – infographic
    •  People are Social Creatures – Both In-person and Online: Over 80% of respondents are comfortable/extremely comfortable connecting and networking with strangers regardless of setting – both physical and virtual.
    • People Share Information via Social Media: 41% of online delegates and 51% of physical delegates respectively have tweeted and texted to share event information to their entire network.
    • People will Pay for Virtual Events: 25% of respondents will pay the same fee as an in-person event, while 74% will pay less as an in-person event.
    • People are Multi-Taskers: Compared to their online counterparts, in-person participants are just about as likely to be checking email (81% versus 83%) or leave a meeting/session for some reason  (65% versus 68%).
    • People Want Accessible Content: Respondents are seeking to access content online or via mobile before, during and after the event. The digital channel allows meeting and event practitioners to connect with audiences throughout the entire event cycle, connecting audiences from the physical event to the online channel and back again.
    • People Seek the Same Information: Regardless of format, people have the same drivers for attending an exhibit hall, seeing ‘what is new’ is the number one motivation by far. Gathering relevant product and company information as well as gaining access to subject matter expertise are all clustered in second place. Demos and application education are highly sought as well.
    • Exhibitor Goals Seem to Align with Attendees’ Needs: For those who exhibited at conference and tradeshows, the main motivations cited for exhibiting included:  brand awareness (68%), new business development (65%), educate market on products/solutions (62%), new lead generation (57%) and thought leadership (51%).
  • Center for Exhibition Industry Research Virtual Events Report (June 2011): More than a majority of past (59%) and future virtual event organizers (65%) say their virtual events are affiliated with a physical event
  • The Practicalities of Virtual Events (ON24, June 2011): 84% of respondents said they have taken some action as a direct result of attending a virtual event, and 61% have taken two or more actions.
  • Measuring and Maximizing the Impact of a Hybrid Event (Virtual Edge Institute and ROI of Engagement, May 2011) – graphics
    • Virtual Extends Attendance: If no virtual option was available, 93 percent of virtual attendees would not attend the in-person event whereas 78 percent of in person attendees would attend a virtual option.
    • Virtual Promotes In-Person Attendance: VEI determined eighteen percent (18 percent) of virtual attendees attended in-person in 2011. In a separate poll of those attendees, 82 percent indicated that attending virtually was “very helpful” in making the decision to attend the 2011 Summit and all respondents indicated attending virtually was “helpful.”
    • Generational Divide is a Myth: The survey revealed that average ratings were similar across generations, averaging 3.86 on a five-point scale for Boomers (born 1946-1964), 3.73 for Gen X’ers (born 1965-1981) and 3.83 for Millennials (born 1982 to present)
  • The Future of Business Environments (May 2011): Of 550 marketers surveyed, 87% predict hybrid (part physical, part virtual) events will represent at least half of all events in the next five years.
  • Association Virtual Conferences: The State of the Sector (Tagoras, February 2011): While the “rate of adoption” will triple within the next 12 months to 35.4%, nearly two-thirds of associations (64.6%) have no plans to incorporate virtual conferences.

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General Size of the Market:

  • Market Research Media (February 2010): The virtual conference and trade show market has the potential to be a $18.6 billion in 2010-2015

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Social Media:
Follow @virtualedge for the latest updates. We are using the hashtag #VES12 as well.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VirtualEdge

Recommended Tweets:

Virtual Edge Summit Blog:
Let us know about your blog post, video diary or other related creative thoughts, and we will cross post on our Summit website: http://www.virtualedgesummit.com/category/latest-headlines/

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Quotes from Michael Doyle, Executive Director of Virtual Edge Institute and producer of Virtual Edge Summit 2011:

  • “Now in its fourth year, and second year co-located with PCMA’s Convening Leaders conference, the Virtual Edge Summit has always showcased the best and brightest minds in virtual and hybrid events,” explained Michael Doyle, Executive Director of VEI and organizer of VES 2012.
  • “Our goal is to have companies and associations ready to move forward as soon as they return from the Summit,” said Michael Doyle, Executive Director of the Virtual Edge Institute, which produces the Virtual Edge Summit.  “We have a comprehensive education program that deals with issues around planning, funding, marketing, content development, event production, and of course measurement.  Our sponsors are also on hand to offer hands-on demos and talk about services available to assist with production.”
  • “Corporations, associations, trade show producers and media companies are scrambling to figure out how they can best deploy virtual solutions to grow their business and engage customers, partners and even employees,” said Michael Doyle, executive director of Virtual Edge Institute, producers of the Summit. “Though still affected by the economy and budgets that haven’t been, and may not be restored to pre-2008 levels, people are starting to really understand how virtual environments can drive meaningful business results beyond extending physical event attendance.”
  • “Budget is one thing, but today, competition for people’s time and attention is just as fierce, so organizations are turning to online, virtual means of conducting business, delivering education and training and marketing,” noted Michael Doyle, executive director of Virtual Edge Institute. “We are seeing a tremendous demand for virtual and hybrid events of all types—conferences, trade shows, webcasts, job fairs as well as training and education as companies realize that the technology exists to effectively deliver solutions online with the added convenience of on-demand consumption.”

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Michael Doyle’s Bio:
Michael is the founder and executive director of the Virtual Edge Institute (www.VirtualEdge.org) an industry organization dedicated to advancing the development and adoption of virtual environments and digital solutions for events, meetings and learning programs. Doyle launched the Virtual Edge Summit the leading hybrid event serving the industry and is a frequent consultant to companies trying to map virtual experiences to their portfolio of physical events. He is a 20-year veteran of trade shows, magazines and online publishing with extensive marketing, content and business development experience. Doyle has also served as Publisher at Reed Business Information’s Cahners Publishing Company, Director of Business Development and Publisher for Interex’s HP World, General Manager at Online Market World, Executive Director of the Solution Provider Institute, and Group Publisher at Gordon Publications. He is a frequent speaker and blogger on topics related to the use of virtual technologies for business.

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About the Author

The Virtual Edge Team is available to answer any of your questions or special requests at: info at virtual edge dot org