LCGC The Peak - June 2008 - (Page 8)

8 THE PEAK JUNE 2008 from the internet. He envisioned a virtual Pittcon when he wrote: “When my mouse moves over a booth, information about that company is displayed, I can see anything that interests me and I can click on that booth and open up communications using messenger/iChat with a sales or technical person waiting to take my call. The person can even have a working instrument ready to show me different operations using video links. They can also send me new literature or even show me the videos they were particularly keen to pass onto me this year on a CD. The possibilities are endless.” His vision is not farfetched at all and today you can attend a virtual tradeshow in just about any industry. And there are many more communication vehicles on the internet in addition to virtual tradeshows. You can participate in webinars, view videos and podcasts on the web, and chat in live internet forums on any topic of interest — all from the comfort of your home or office. Conceptually, it sounds ideal — no travel, no time away from home or the office, and easy to download information. So will this new medium mark the demise of the traditional tradeshow as we know it today? Undoubtedly not, and the main reason is the human element, or the lack thereof in the virtual world. There simply is no substitute for the value of face-to-face interaction that is achieved at a conference and exposition like Pittcon. A research study conducted by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) bears this out (2). The study indicated that 76% of attendees rated face-to-face interaction with potential new vendors as very important or extremely important. Virtual Tradeshows Have Their Niche Most of today’s virtual tradeshows have common elements – a registration area where you create your online identity, a product exposition where you can link to product information from the exhibitors, a full agenda of speakers played live on video or via PowerPoint slides with a voice-over, and a social chat room where you can communicate with other attendees. According to Marketing Pilgrim (3), most virtual events are free to attendees and average over 3000 registrants. Just over half (52%) actually attend. Most people spend 2.5 h at the event, visit 16 locations, and download five resources. The typical virtual tradeshow runs 1.5 days but remains accessible for three months following the event. With more than 20,000 attendees, 2000 technical sessions, and 1000 exhibitors, a virtual Pittcon would be significantly larger and more comprehensive than the average virtual event. It is difficult to imagine how “virtual conferees” could explore hundreds of booths, have one-on-one technical discussions with the experts, rekindle relationships with colleagues, attend some of the many technical presentations and realize the full Pittcon experience — all while sitting at a computer without any human interac-

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LCGC The Peak - June 2008 The Value of Human Interaction Keeps Pittcon "Live" and Well Screening and Optimizing High-Speed, High Resoultion HPLC Methods in the "Lean Laboratory" The 56th Annual ASMS Conference: A Review Industry News Events Education

LCGC The Peak - June 2008

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