As I was sipping my morning coffee and waiting for this year’s aftermarket eForum to begin, I was struck by how different things were. Traditionally, I’m elbowing my way past the other attendees trying to get one of those muffins that seem to disappear so quickly and fighting for a coveted back row seat near the one door that doesn’t squeak.
This year there were no muffins. While the coffee was good, the crowd was sparse — it consisted of just my dachshund and me.
I took my position behind my computer and logged in to the first-ever Virtual Aftermarket eForum. In the exhibit hall, I was the only person in a couple of the booths I entered. In one booth, I engaged in my first ever virtual version of the time honored business card exchange. After some idle chat via texting, I moved into the main hall for the first presentation.
I took my position behind my computer and logged in to the first-ever Virtual Aftermarket eForum. In the exhibit hall, I was the only person in a couple of the booths I entered. In one booth, I engaged in my first ever virtual version of the time honored business card exchange. After some idle chat via texting, I moved into the main hall for the first presentation.
As the session progressed, I started receiving messages. Some were hellos, some were presentation comments, but all were a distraction. As my attention strayed away to these messages, it wasn’t long before I was checking my regular e-mail. Interestingly, I received e-mails from other individuals who were also attending the eForum. It was like the difference between watching a movie in the theater versus watching a DVD at home. It’s too easy to answer a phone or run to get a cup of coffee. There is no peer pressure to observe social protocol.
A cultural shift will need to take place for all of us to learn how to use and interact with this technology more effectively. Meeting organizers need technologies that will create a more compelling environment. Presenters need to modify their methods and styles to make their pitches more engaging. The tight headshot for an hour won’t cut it. More video or animation are required to keep the audience engaged.
The reality is that Web meetings are becoming an element of how we do business now and will only increase in importance in the future. Trade show attendance is trending down. Show attendance in our market segment is not being hit as hard as other industries, but it is down.
The organizers of the Aftermarket eForum are to be congratulated for being the first to take the bold step and experiment with the concept of a virtual trade show. There will come a time when we look back at this maiden voyage into the virtual world and it will seem like Pong or PacMan compared to Halo. But as one who vividly remembers both Pong and PacMan, they were pretty cool compared to what preceded them.