B-to-B Events

Health care company Medco generally spends about $3,000 per person at its annual 800-attendee sales conference, which brings together three of its markets—employer accounts, key accounts and health plans—for training and networking opportunities. But in 2009, when the unsettling economy caused companies to tighten their belts and Medco’s customers to cut travel budgets, its remedy was a virtual conference, the 2009 Market Group Virtual World (Unisfair, Menlo Park, CA, handled). The cost: a mere $62.41 per person.

Conventional wisdom dictates that the best way to woo those hard-to-impress c-suite decision makers is to fly them all to the Seychelles, put them up in the swankiest all-inclusive resort, buy them a few rounds of golf and along the way, chat up your product. The thing is, sometimes it’s better to leave the gravy at home and focus on the meat.

When interactive learning technology provider Promethean saw trade-show attendance drop last year, it created the ActivClassroom Experiential Tour, which takes its products directly to customers and beefs up its experiences at industry events. The tour is geared toward school district decision-makers at K-12 schools, such as superintendents, principals, teachers and IT consultants. The tour travels in a 36-foot ActivBus, which started up in April and is currently on the road with a second vehicle in the works for 2011.

 Orlando@50+, the national event and expo sponsored by AARP that is expected to draw more than 25,000 people aged 50 and older to Orlando later this month, this year will feature the AARP Digital Experience, a virtual event that expands the reach of the three-day extravaganza for members, exhibitors and sponsors.

This year’s Cisco Live! event at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas was a five-day paid conference featuring content-packed days and nightly networking opportunities.