Best Hybrid Live+Virtual Program

Program Name: Cisco Live!
Client: Cisco
Agency:

Like most companies with a flagship annual event, Cisco was eyeing 2009 with a healthy degree of apprehension: should it go forward with its live event and risk losing attendees (and attendee revenue) because of slashed travel budgets? Should it skip the live event altogether and take the whole thing virtual, like it had with its annual sales meeting, GSX? Or, try a mix of both and execute a “hybrid” event? The tech giant’s decision to ultimately go hybrid at Cisco Live! in 2009 not only won the company a Grand Ex Award (see pg. 48), it became the largest event in Cisco’s history, setting the bar for future hybrid events and changing forever the perception that virtual is a threat to live.

For those that could get to San Francisco last June, Cisco Live! was a five-day paid event featuring content-packed days and networking opportunities geared for IT decision-makers. For those that couldn’t attend, Cisco offered a two-day, 3D web-based virtual experience that ran alongside the first two days of the live event and gave people around the world access to keynotes, sessions, a digital exhibit hall and on-demand content. The goals for the virtual event were to retain the participation of loyal customers who couldn’t travel to the in-person event and extend the reach of the event to customers who didn’t usually attend, even in a good economy. Cisco appealed to both audiences by finding the perfect blend of free and exclusive content.

For example, attendees in the virtual environment could participate in conference sessions and events, streamed from the live event, including the keynote addresses and Super Sessions. Other sessions were delivered as “live simulated” (livesim) experiences, previously recorded but streamed live, 10 each day, at a designated time as “online exclusive” content, then available subsequently on demand. To prevent attendee attrition, Cisco offered flexible registration packages that included free content, like keynotes, sessions and access to the exhibit hall, and premium content, like the livesim sessions, for an additional fee. The strategy helped the brand build awareness and consideration for new attendees who may not have attended the event before while increasing value for its exhibitors. Cisco also boosted the virtual event’s value by giving virtual attendees several exclusive experiences that live event attendees didn’t receive, like a live group video chat with Cisco’s cto Padmasree Warrior after her keynote address.

Almost 35 percent of virtual attendees said they’d attend the live event this June, proving the power of virtual events as a feeder for live attendance. And only seven percent of live attendees said they would rather attend virtually.

Program Name: RSNA
Client: GE Healthcare
Agency: Elite Exhibits, InXpo, JWD Design

More and more, companies are adapting a live-plus-virtual hybrid model for events, which allows them to expand their reach to people online who can’t make it to the live event. GE Healthcare successfully entered the space with rsna.gehealthcare.com, to complement its physical presence at the RSNA 2009 annual convention in Chicago last year. The virtual exhibit opened 10 days before the actual show to get folks chatting about the exhibit.
Like the 30,000-square-foot physical booth, the virtual exhibit was created from the same 3D models and divided into several product areas. The user interface carried the same brand graphics and included a live webcam showing visitors what was happening on the show floor. A chat function connected visitors with virtual exhibit staff for discussions. Visitors could also download product information, including brochures, images and case studies, on the more than 25 new GE Healthcare products being introduced.

More than 10,000 attendees spent an average of 25 minutes in the booth speaking with representatives during the course of the weeklong show, and there was an increase of 10 percent in sales leads. The virtual exhibit attracted nearly 4,000 attendees.
 

Program Name: EA Sports Active Influencer Program
Client: Electronic Arts
Agency: Ammo Marketing

EA’s research indicated that the best way to launch its new fitness product EA Sports Active was to tap into key influencers in the female, especially mom, category. On a mission to reach 500 American women, EA Sports sent out a call for busy moms with active online social networks. In a matter of weeks more than 3,200 women who wished to participate in the EA Sports Active experience responded.

From there the brand created a grassroots program to drive true advocacy in three phases: awareness, engagement and amplification. Five hundred women selected by their demographic makeup, personality, network size, fitness situation and level of influence each received a welcome kit with a copy of the game and program and demo guide. The fitness product focused on a 30-Day Challenge that encouraged users to set activity goals. Each mom provided weekly updates about the challenge; moms were also encouraged to host an in-house demonstration of the game for family and friends.

By the end of the program, the moms hosted 2,858 guests at in-home parties; 122,000 face-to-face conversations were recorded and 117,000 impressions were made via social media.