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THREAD: As everyone has moved to virtual conferences, we've figured out how to present and how to network reasonably well. However, there's a gigantic problem we've not solved yet: how do we deliver value to vendors in these virtual events? 1/
"Why care about the vendors?" you might ask. I'll tell you why: they're the reason your event ticket didn't cost 3-5 times more than it did, and they're also why your nonprofit conference organizer stays solvent and delivers value to you year-round. 2/
And after nearly 7 months of virtual conferences, most of them are pissed. They're not getting the same ROI as before because nobody wants to wander a "virtual" vendor hall and download a whitepaper -- especially when you don't get a 20-cent pen in exchange. ;-) 3/
So what can conference organizers do? Stop trying to "replace" the vendor hall with a virtualized version of the exact same thing. Instead, think differently about what your vendors and partners want for their dollars and how that might overlap with your attendees' needs. 4/
Here's one way: First, survey your attendees 3-4 months before the event and find out what they'd like to know and what kind of challenges they're hoping to solve with the things your sponsors/vendors might happen to sell. 5/
Next, synthesize all of those challenges into a bunch of "How might I ..." challenges (such as, How might I migrate my aging, on-premises X to a cloud-based Y?) and then group them into as many logical categories as you can. 6/
Then, send the challenges to your vendors. Tell them they can address as many as they like but will have to pay $ X,000 for each or XX,000 to address all in a category. 7/
Two weeks before your conference, schedule dozens of 20-minute "Challenge Showcase Sessions" that are tied to the "How might I..." challenges you've built. In each, up to 20 vendors who believe their products/services address each challenge can present for one minute apiece. 8/
Publicize the hell out of these sessions to your attendees, but don't require registration for people to attend. During each, the vendor uses their minute to share how their solution addresses the challenge (or to trash their competitors -- after all, it's their minute). 9/
While each vendor presents, share a link that allows session attendees to book five more minutes with them -- but no longer -- to learn a bit more, get a downloaded brochure, share contact details for a Starbucks card, etc. Make sure your vendors adhere to this time limit! 10/
Gamify the Showcase Sessions, awarding prizes for the funniest/weirdest/best one-minute pitches as voted on by the attendees. Build a "best-of" highlight reel. Give away cool attendance prizes to the attendees (iPad, anyone?) of each Showcase Session, etc. 11/
Rinse and repeat for all the challenges. Then, invite your vendors to attend any virtual sessions at your conference that address their focus areas and carve out some time for them to speak since they're not "stuck" on the vendor floor like they are in real events, right? 12/
Finally, don't expect the same people who run your real-world exhibit hall to pull this off -- their expertise lies elsewhere. Hire an expert facilitator instead. We're at http://TheFilament.com and http://PracticallyInPerson.com , just in case you're wondering. ;-) /END
