IAEE Offers Live Virtual Event Component

Live & recorded video was provided online through a partnership with SmartSource Rentals and ON24 for a Mid-Year Meeting held in Boston, MA, by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE). The web cast component was made available exclusively to IAEE executive level members as well as some members of the press.

Virtual Events are becoming more popular as the technology and infrastructure to offer video content online has developed into a viable possibility for many conference organizers, event planners and producers. Many face-to-face event producers have mixed feelings about virtual events, viewing them as a threat to the attendance and success at the physical event. While this is a valid point, many event producers are now discovering ways that virtual events can actually elevate the status of physical events by increasing attendance, expanding reach, extending the event duration and driving new revenue streams. A session at the IAEE Mid-Year Meeting entitled ‘Virtual Events - Friend or Foe?’ addressed this topic and some of the best practices when combing virtual and physical events.

Live web casting and on-demand/archived content will always have value. Making resources available online gives access to all people who may not have been able to physically attend an event in person. Additionally, attendees who did participate at an event can use these resources to refresh or review things they may have touched on face-to-face at the event itself. This technology is here to stay and the real question some event producers face is not “if” it should be used, but “how” it should best be used. Every event is different and will have different measures of success. Finding the right way to combine physical events with virtual event components can be a win-win if used the right way.

At the Mid-Year IAEE event in Boston, ON24 provided the virtual platform for live and recorded video and audio content highlighting portions of select programs, and SmartSource provided on-site audio-visual production, capturing the live feed and feeding it into ON24’s virtual platform.

SmartSource Computer & Audio Visual Rentals President and CEO Michael McClernon said, “We are very pleased to be a supporting sponsor of IAEE’s first ever live webcast at their Mid-Year Meeting in Boston. We are very proud that a standard-setting organization like IAEE has reached out to us for help on this very important event.”

IAEE President Steven Hacker, CAE, said, “Supporting our mission of bringing buyers and sellers together to conduct business, we believe that the virtual element supports the face-to-face event adding a new option for attendees to engage not only with the association but with other live and virtual attendees as well. We are pleased to work with these partners’ new and dynamic technologies to provide attendees with a new option for professional learning.”

“At ON24 we recognize the importance of event producers, so we are pleased that we can partner with the IAEE to bring the many benefits of virtual events to its members,” said ON24 CMO Denise Persson. “The rich ON24 virtual experience is a perfect companion to the IAEE’s in-person meeting and provides a cost-effective, efficient way to take marketing and communication programs to the next level.”

About IAEE
Since 1928, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events™ (IAEE) continues to provide quality and value to its members through leadership, service, education and strong relationships. IAEE is the largest association of the exhibitions and events industry in the world, with a membership of show organizers, exhibitors and exhibition suppliers. Organizers of more than 20,000 exhibitions and buyer-seller events around the world are members of IAEE. Through the 2006 consolidation with the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), IAEE delivers valuable industry research reports. IAEE also supports IAEE Services, the IAEE Public Events Council, The International Center for Exhibitor and Event Marketing, and the Exhibition and Event Industry Audit Commission, which are IAEE councils that provide products, programs and information to members. IAEE recognizes its strategic partners: American Airlines, ASP, Inc., Bearcom, Mexico Tourism Board, Orange County Convention Center and Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau and VoiceLogic. Visit www.iaee.com for more information.

About ON24
The recognized global virtual events market share leader, ON24 provides webcasting and virtual environments for corporate communications and demand generation. The ON24 platform is a complete Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) cloud offering; no deployment resources are required. ON24 offers fully integrated, enterprise-wide solutions for applications ranging from training, user conferences and company meetings to partner expos and trade shows. More than 750 organizations, including IBM, Cisco, CA Technologies, Merck, AstraZeneca, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Fiserv, Credit Suisse, GE and Oracle, rely on ON24. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices throughout the world. For more information, visit www.ON24.com.
About SmartSource Rentals

SmartSource Computer & Audio Visual Rentals (Hauppauge, NY), one of the nation’s leading providers of computer, audio visual (AV) and trade show technology rentals and services Founded in 1984 and formerly known as Rent-a-PC, Inc., SmartSource Computer & Audio Visual Rentals serves broad-based corporate IT, association, professional AV and tradeshow technology rental needs. The company is widely recognized for its outstanding customer service, technical expertise, geographic reach, breadth of product, and end-to-end solution. Its extensive line features brand name products from Apple, Dell, HP/Compaq, IBM, NEC, Eiki, Meyer, Stumpfl, and others. Among its products are computers, servers, copiers, professional AV equipment, LCD and plasma monitors, kiosks, digital signage and video walls. SmartSource employs over 250 including over 100 field technicians. For more information, visit: www.smartsourcerentals.com

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