Virtual events and Hybrid Events have been a hot topic for a while now. If you’re unclear on what a Hybrid event is, it is simply the extension of traditional in-person events with tools such as broadcasting and social media. For some special event professionals, hybrid events are not cutting-edge but commonplace. Every event now-a-days should really be considered a hybrid from the start, unless there is a specific reason for there not to be. The more people to get involved into a brand, a product or a communication message, the better their response will be in the form of buying decisions or recommendations. Hybrid events involve people even more than classic events did in the past, and at this point you can see that virtual and social media elements offer a lot of advantages for companies planning to use them. It’s not just regular “ROI” anymore, it’s Return on Involvement as well!

International event powerhouse Vok Dams Group, headquartered in Germany, was among the first agencies to integrate the Internet into special events back in 1998. And the company’s commitment to hybrid events is clear: “The future belongs to hybrid events, which pair live with MoSoLo—the use of mobile/social/location-based technologies,” says company leader Coja Dams. For Microsoft’s partner conference in Germany last week, the Vok Dams team turned to a mix of elements, including a custom event guide app, communication via Facebook and Xing (the German version of LinkedIn), Xbox Kinect modules at the event, and scannable tag codes at networking events that helped the 1,400 guests learn more about one another.

ABCey Events loves learning about the immersion of new and innovative technology and events. Several event pros who routinely stage hybrid events stress that complex technology is not a must though. Multi-source events can also be incredibly cheap, from Skype and Twitter, to most costly, satellite and interactive texting. We do think that putting a digital spin on a live event can make the event better. Technology is changing at light speed. It is time for the us, the event marketers of the world to assess their portfolio and align new business models to their event marketing strategies!

This post was adapted from “Hybrid Special Events–So ‘Now’ or Not Yet?” by Lisa Hurley of Special Events Magazine.

This group of companies is all about Tweeting, Linking In, and Facebookin’  to better connect with and serve their customers. Social media is useful for many types of organizations, whether it’s a big brand or small business. Using social media correctly can also help companies engage audiences in new ways, be more personable, develop new connections, and maintain the ones they have. See who CNN Money’s article lists as the top tweeters and social media champs.

1) @Google: With nearly as many Facebook fans as Twitter followers, Google’s approach seems to follow the same strategy as its search engine business: Attract a critical mass of users and engage them by any means possible. Followers: 3,012,238

2) @WholeFoods: This chain grocery store has created an online community for useful exchanges between shoppers and their grocers. Followers: 1,916,179

3) @Dell, @DellCares, @Direct2Dell: Dell now has 1,000 people certified to tweet, blog and post on behalf of the company (you need 4 out of the 14 courses at the university to become certified). Followers: 1,584,837

4) @SouthwestAir: Maybe it’s the Nuts About Southwest blog (Happy 5th birthday), their Luv campaign that launched on Twitter, or whatever catchy promotional phrases they’ve blasted across the Internet, but their small but growing social media team has earned airline bragging rights. Followers: 1,107,156 

5) @CocaCola: Coca Cola’s social media strategy is, simply put, fans first. In fact, their Facebook page is completely run by fans. Followers: 254,618

At ABCey Events, we believe in continually staying ahead of market trends to give you a unique and successful event. Do you use Twitter to engage your target audience?

Using Twitter as social media is a smart and inexpensive way to promote your business and reach out directly to potential customers. ABCey Events tweets everyday to connect with professionals in the event and tech industries. Here are four tips from the Social Media Examiner to help you get the maximum Twitter benefits for your business.

#1: Define your business goals and objectives Your business goals and objectives are the backbone for measuring your Twitter success. Take something you want to accomplish in your business and break it down into action items that are measurable and specific.

#2: Create your conversation strategy It’s not enough to follow people. If you really want to build a Twitter community around your business, you need give people a reason to follow you back and engage in conversation with you.

 #3: Organize your community with Twitter Lists Before you expand your Twitter community, invest a little time to organize your existing community with Twitter Lists. You should create both private and public lists and add each new person you follow to the appropriate list.

 #4: Keep expanding your Twitter community Community management, the process of adding and removing people from your Twitter community, is an ongoing activity. It’s important that you don’t follow too many new people at one time. If you act like a spammer, someone might report you as such and Twitter might suspend your account!

To be a good Twitter member, connect with your community as a real person and build your relationships one at a time. What’s your experience with Twitter? Do you have a community management strategy?

Have you been wondering what those black and white boxes are that look like crossword puzzles and are all over almost every product these days? Quick Response codes (QR codes) are two-dimensional matrix barcodes that can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters of information.  Although they have been around for quite some time, they are re-gaining a lot of buzz in large part because of mobile technology. While QR codes are still considered a novelty here in the United States, they’ve been actively used for over a decade in Japan where they were invented. Consumers want immediate access to what’s relevant and QR codes are being used to make that possible. ABCey thinks that these snazzy futuristic codes deserve your attention! Thanks to Mobile Marketing’s article, we have listed 6 of the most ingenious ways the codes can be utilized in the event and technology industries.

1) In a flyer for event registration, have a code link to Paypal or a shopping cart page.

2) Have conference guests scan a code that logs them into the WIFI account.

3) Attach a QR code to your luggage so an airline can reunite you with lost bags.

4) Allow those who scan your event’s QR code to post a tweet on their page about it.

5) Promote your event with codes that can add the date/time to attendee’s calendars.

6) Add a QR code to your business card with all your contact information.

The potential for QR Codes is limitless.  What’s most exciting is how they take what social media is doing well now, bringing people together with technology, and extending it to enhance the experience. The next generation of barcodes will hold even more information – so much that an Internet connection will not even be necessary.  The content will be effectively embedded in the code.  Imagine scanning a digital code to manifest physical reality?

Using Twitter chats will give you the opportunity to engage with other Twitter users and discover new people to follow. They will give you access to new information that will help keep you on top of all the latest trends in the event planning industry. This article posted by Anne Brown has listed the Top 10 Twitter chats every event planner should follow.

* The # sign in front of each Twitter Chat is their hash tag; typing it like this allows you to tag the chat into your own twitter post.

1. #eventprofs Eventprofs: A thriving community of event planners and other event industry Professionals. This was the first Twitter chat for event planners.

2. #TTOT Travel Tuesday on Twitter: Social media travel event. Five questions, every 10 minutes.

3. #engage365 Engage 365: For events professionals interested in social media for events & conferences. Similar to #eventprofs, but discussions focus more on event technology, engaging attendees, and event marketing.

4. #assnchat Association Chat: Chat for association professionals discussing current industry trends, technology and strategy

5. #luxchat Luxchat: Excellent and highly relevant to event planners who work in the luxury market sector. Usually features a high profile guest. Representatives of a number of upscale resorts have been featured. Some chats are on location.

6. #tourismchat Tourism Chat: Bi-monthly twitter chat focusing on social media in the tourism industry.

7. #speakchat Speak Chat: Event planners, professional speakers, and speakers bureaus discuss a variety of industry related topics and issues.

8. #tni Traveller’s Night In: Covers a new travel topic each week. 10 questions tweeted by various hosts.

9. #weddingmarket Wedding Market Chat: Trends, marketing and information for the wedding and bridal markets.

10. #AVchat AV Chat: All you ever wanted to learn about AV, a key ingredient for many successful events.

Every Twitter chat has regular followers. As event planners it is important to stay ahead of the trends and know what is coming next. Try following these ten Twitter chats and see what new ideas they can give you and your company.

Which Twitter chat has been your new favorite chat to follow?

Social media experts are always debating strategies for marketing content to reach the widest possible audience. No matter how skillfully you navigate the social and technical landscape, there is no substitute for authenticity and substance. We often use social media to broaden our exposure online and try to reach out to customers that way as opposed to traditional sales techniques. Sujan Patel’s article on unwritten rules of social media. Here are some of the article highlights.

1. Know the Limits of Self-Promotion: In some environments, self-promotion is expressly forbidden, and you should always rely on someone else, preferably with an established social media presence, to introduce your content to the community. In settings where it is permissible to promote yourself, always do so in moderation. Pay careful attention to the balance between self-serving contributions, and contributing to the community as a whole.
2. Take the High Road: Taking the high road means always keeping yourself above the fray. Never let yourself get dragged down into any conflicts that will reflect negatively on your brand.

3. It’s What You Know AND Who You Know: Most social media platforms have a friending or following feature built in. You may be tempted to make as many connections as you can, in the hopes this will get your content promoted, but this is not always the best strategy.

4. Crafting a Clickable Submission: Just like the three most important things about real estate are location, location, and location, social media has a similar focus on content, content, and yes, content. Even with your entire, reasonably-sized network providing seed votes, bad content will not last on the front page; you must be able to compete with breaking news stories and links from some of the most popular sites on the internet.

5. Do Your Homework and Understand the Algorithms: You don’t need a degree in computer science to understand the basics of popularity algorithms, but you will need to put some effort into studying them.

As a member of any online community and a representative of your brand, (either your business or your personal brand) your primary responsibility is to look out for yourself and make sure that you are always cognizant of the rules, both written, and unwritten. Gain credibility as an event planner or other business person by doing your social media correctly. What other rules do you follow?

Because Twitter is such a widely used marketing tool in today’s business world, there are infinite articles and blog postings on how to better use the site to make the most of your online business.  However, rarely do we see articles that stand out and suggest revolutionary ways to Tweet.  Here are some unexpected methods from Entrepreneur.com that just might blow your mind:

1. Use advanced search options to locate opportunities: By using search.twitter.com, you can insert conversational keywords to locate you or you product/service.  When you find these keywords in posts, it is great way to reach out to posters and connect with them on a professional level.

2. Tweet often to boost search-engine optimization: Tweeting often about relevant and interesting topics not only keeps you active on popular newsfeeds, it also shoots your ranking in online searches to higher levels.  Use “keyword-rich” phrases in your posts and your tweets will improve your SEO by a mile.

3. Change link headings each time you tweet them to boost traffic: A good way to get your information out there is to tweet things several times over, but change the headlines and the wording so it keeps your posts from looking spammy.  Another benefit is that you will be able to see which wording works best for which kinds of posts by checking your @mentions to see which posts garnered the most responses.

In the event planning community, it is integral to our business to stay active in social networks.  If it feels like you are getting minimal results from sites like Twitter, try these different methods of promoting your business.  What are some other tips you can offer to better your brand on Twitter or other like sites?

To get the rest of these great tips click here!

It can often be difficult to sum yourself and your accomplishments up in 140 characters or less, but Twitter has forced us to become more concise.  In a world where a quick scan of something is about all you can expect from your readers, it is important to represent yourself in an accurate, yet condensed format.  According to bnet.com, here are a few words you should leave out when drafting your bio on Twitter:

1. “Authority”- Instead of stating your position of power, show what you’ve done to achieve this authority.  If you have to tell people you are the authority on something, chances are you are not.

2. “Workaholic”- This word automatically triggers negativity.  It’s good to be hard-working, but showcasing yourself as someone who works 24/7 implies that you aren’t getting the most positive results.  Shoot for words like “motivated” or “driven” instead.

3. “Guru”- What does this even mean? Likewise, “ninja”, “expert”, and other monikers of this nature.

4. “Serial Entrepreneur”- Again, this implies that you are constantly trying to establish yourself as an entrepreneur with limited results.  It would be more beneficial to name a few of your entrepreneurial accomplishments or simply just drop the ‘serial’.

5. “Unique”- Each individual is unique, that’s what makes humankind so special.  The article says it best; “tell me why you are better.”

As event planners, it is integral to our work to create a personal brand that people can relate to and that also sets us apart from the masses while still maintaining accuracy.  How do you cultivate your personal brand and what types of words have you used to describe yourself in your bios?

To see the rest of these bad descriptors, click here!

As event planners, it is crucial when conceiving an event to focus on the social/socializing opportunities for the attendees before, during and after the event. This element is important in order to increase the ROI, both for you as the event planner for promotional reasons, as well as for your attendees in the interest of networking. Social media has created various creative options to engage your event-goers, and here are just some of the ways from the blog, Go Big Event,  to accomplish maximum socialization.

1. Generate hype around the event before it begins. The best way to do this is by creating event pages on Facebook and Linkedin. Also, a good trick is to create a prize incentive, which you can give out to a random attendee that joins. And always use Twitter to market any prizes, event pages, etc., and be sure to create a hashtag to keep track of comments about the event.
2. Another stellar way to engage with guests before the event is by asking for input on speakers they would like to hear, food they would want to eat, or any other recommendations. You can make this possible through the poll features of Linkedin or Facebook.
3. During the event, encourage guests to tweet and to use the hashtag you created. This way, they can again interact with each other, and it also gives you an opportunity to gauge how they feel about the event. If you are taking questions at the event, ask the attendees to tweet in questions to the hashtag. A good trick to engage the attendees is by uploading pictures or videos at the event to start discussions.
4. After the event, you can again use Facebook or Linkedin to start a discussion to generate feedback about the event, asking the attendees how it could have been improved, what they enjoyed about it, etc.

What other ways have you increased the social opportunities of events you’ve planned? Have you found other, more effective ways to engage your attendees? Let us know what you have found works best for you and your events!

Twitter has clearly proven to be a useful method of garnering awareness for a company, but the big trick is how to grow your number of followers. Below are 5 tips on how to grow your Twitter presence:

1. Leverage Other Profiles: If your company has other online profiles, such as a blog or a website, mention the Twitter account in a post and provide a link to take a reader to that page (like this!). For Facebook accounts, you can drag your Tweets to Facebook. You can also add it into your email signature, and business card.
2. Tweet and Tweet Often: Every tweet you write pops up on the Twitter Public Timeline, which means that the more often you are tweeting, the more often you are on that timeline and more people will notice you. Yet be careful not tweet nonstop if you do not have interesting things to say. This could lead to the loss of followers. On a similar note, it is important that you also leave time for reactions to your tweets. Leave your followers room to respond. You want to create conversations.
3. Be Conversational: Each time you reply to someone and they reply to you, your Twitter ID shows up in the feeds of other, which provides great exposure to potentially thousands of other Twitter users. The best way to create this back and forth interaction is by asking questions in your tweets, and replying to questions of others.
4. Provide Value: For a business particularly, it is important to use Twitter mainly as a forum to enhancing others knowledge or piquing their interest in compelling topics. The conversation you are creating should hold some value and significance.
5. Tweet in Peak Times: New Twitter followers are made primarily during US business hours. Thus, tweet during these times to maximize the chances of people finding you and adding you as someone to follow.

Twitter provides a great opportunity to interact with way more people than you would be able to in your day-to-day life, and this plethora of interaction can provide great exposure for your company. We hope at ABCey that this will help you gain the Twitter presence that you are looking for, and in turn help promote your business. To read the full article, click here! And for one last shameless plug, please follow ABCey Events or @abceyevents!