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NEWSLETTER 103
 
VIRTUAL EVENTS GROUP
 
Frightening stat of the week? Nearly 30% of Americans (skewing younger) get their news from TikTok according to this Pew Research Study.
 
 
 
 
 
 
December 15, 2022 | 2:30 PM EST | ZOOM
 
Holiday Tools Party
 

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you see every problem as a nail.” That’s why we’re getting together on Dec 15th at 2:30 EST to share our notes about using the right tool for the right job. Jeremy Caplan, Director of Teaching and Learning at CUNY's Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and creator of the Wonder Tools blog, will show us a few of his favorites. But don’t come empty hand-handed. Bring a fistful of your favorites, too.

 
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ReRuns
 

Between Twitter’s tragi-comedy and midterm election jitters it’s been a distracting week to think about events. Yet we push on and hope that people will think “long term” about events as much as they think about politics and tech. 


 
 
 

We had a great session featuring Freeman’s Adam Charles and Dan Carter, along with Google’s Head of Events and Experiences, Tara Back. They reminded us that the name of the game is keeping your objectives front and center, knowing your audience, and listening and educating all your stakeholders. Listen to how they balance between the love of being live and the new normal. 

 
 
The New Normal Grows Up
 
 

Resiliency Of In-person Events
In-person events such as the Web Summit in Lisbon packed in crowds like never before; so many that it finally got its own survival guide. NAB had an energizing show with nearly 10,000 attendees agreeing that broadcast production qualities are trickling down to corporate and consumer productions. At Gitex, flying cars, robot police people, new metaverses, and driverless taxis showed a packed audience that innovation is booming. Masks were still prominently featured at Japan’s XR fair, but 34,000 visitors showed up to take a swing and VR and AR. And CES is on track for a great year. All of these portend a banner year for in-person events. 


Digital Matters 
On the high tech side, there’s got to be more resiliency and a look at the long term strategy as well. Virtual events are not going away, nor are metaverses or NFTs. But all need to double down on their precise place in the maturing events ecosystem. 

 

In a perfect world, in-person events wouldl solidify the relationships made during virtual events. Reddit proved that you can have a thriving NFT economy if you keep the process simple, the language familiar, and appeal to a base who are sort of over the traditional NFT craze. It launched more than 3 million crypto wallets as part of its “anything but an NFT” collectibles (avoiding the word NFTs). The company avoided third party wallet creation by offering Reddit Vaults and it sold NFTs using fiat currency (dollars) not ETH. All the dirty work of chains and wallets was hidden behind the scenes.

 

Zoomtopia starts this week (Nov. 8th) and we’ll have all the updates in next week’s letter. The 6th annual Zoomtopia (a hybrid event this year) comes at a time when our collective Zoom-dependency is dwindling and Zoom-fatigue is almost part of the medical lexicon. The company itself suffers from a bit of Pinochio syndrome — still hoping it can become a real platform, not simply a one-hit wonder. Pundits are already exploring what a more expansive Zoom will look like.

 
 
This Week in AI
 
 

Google Lens
Thanks to Recommendo for reminding me to look more carefully. After 20 years of barrelling through the never-changing Google home page, there’s suddenly a new home page icon. It’s called Google Lens and looks like a little camera icon off to the right of the search bar. According to Google, Lens goes a step beyond Google Image, which allowed you to search for similar photos, and which also surfaced more information about the photo, including shopping results.

 

You can drag any image into the Google’s search bar and Google will attempt to find its source, identify products and people, and offer similar images. If the image is a product, it can identify it and suggest sources. If it is a plant or living creature it can identify it. It can translate foreign scripts, including mathematics. Sadly I entered an image of myself and it identified my jacket (and offered to let me buy it) but didn’t know who I was. When I entered my pumpkin photos it tried to sell me more. Bottom line. As best as I can tell Goggle Lens was born to shop.

 
Image credit: Google
 
Vana’s Portrait is stupid simple to use. Upload 8 images of your face and Vana takes about 2 hours to email you a personal gallery of AI generated portraits of yourself.
 
 

Hot off the press! Google has acquired Alter, an artificial intelligence (AI) avatar startup that helps creators and brands express their virtual identity. Keep your eyes peeled. The deal hasn’t even been formally announced.

 
Image credit: Alter.AI
 
 
Scuttlebutt
 
 

Marketers Love Virtual Events, But Engagement is Still A Challenge
Kaltura, a video experience cloud company, released “The State of Events 2023”, a marketing-focused survey of event organizers and attendees. 74% of marketers now view virtual events as the top priority for overall events strategy. But a closer look at the data shows that 63% are planning on hosting in-person events in 2023. After reading through the study, we’re more convinced than ever that this is not a neck and neck contest but a year-round strategy. 

 

Most marketers (nearly 45%) felt educational sessions worked best (and were most cost effective) virtually and that networking is still the domain of in person events. We expect those lines will continue to blur. Engagement freaks will want to attend Kaltura’s Virtually Live event on the 15th. 

 
 

Where Science Meets Events
“What if I told you” is a Spotify broadcast featuring Victoria Matey and a guest dishing about the neuroscience of events. 

 
 

High Time for Wi-Fi
One recurring nightmare every exhibitor or event planner has whether the Wi-Fi will work. The second part of the nightmare is how much is fast Wi-Fi going to cost. Tickled to see that Pixelated, a photo booth rental company, is now offering standalone Wi-Fit hotspot rentals on its website. More companies should take note. 

 

I took the techsytalk personality quiz and found out I’m a seeker. The lineup for this week’s program includes a who’s who of event mavens. Maybe I’ll see you there? 

 
 
 
Special Invite for VEG Readers from our Partner Tech Up for Women
 

The Tech Up for Women Conference is a day for advancement in technology through education, resourcing and collaboration. Stay ahead of the tech curve. Immerse yourself in leading edge technologies, keynote speakers, fireside chats, inclusive panels, and technical skill-building education centered around sparking ideas and innovation to advance! Join us at the Tech Up For Women Conference, Tuesday, November 15th at the Javits Convention Center, NYC, 10:00 AM TO 5:30 PM EST and the Networking Reception & Recruitment Fair 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EST.


To register, use promo code "GUEST" for your complimentary ticket (apply promo code at top left of ticket page).

 
 
 
Innovation
 
Hear from industry veterans Live from IMEX in our special video report. 
 
 
 
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Robin Raskin | Founder
917.215.3160 | robin@virtualeventsgroup.org

Gigi Raskin | Sales/Marketing

917.608.7542 | gigi@virtualeventsgroup.org