(The intent of this example is for you to be able to get a better idea on how to produce your own Buyer Persona or Profile)
Virtual Edge is the premiere community site and event providing education, training, news, and research for who are involved in the:
- Decision to launch virtual events, hold virtual meetings and create and foster virtual communities,
- Planning, production, marketing, and operations/logistics of virtual events/meetings and virtual communities,
- Service provider ecosystem necessary to produce and market virtual events/meetings and virtual communities,
This would include:
- B2B/B2C Corporations and Organizations
- Media Companies
- Trade Show Producers
- Event Management Companies
- Interactive Media Agencies
- Supplier and Technology Service Providers
- Consultants
Our community members are people who are new to the space, veterans and everywhere in between. We serve as a place to find and share best practices and help others find answers and solutions to their virtual event and marketing questions and challenges.
Type of Companies
B2B and B2C Companies
This is a company that sells to other business or to consumers that is or was producing a physical trade shows, user meetings, partner and internal meetings and is looking to reduce costs and better serve their and their customer’s and partner’s needs by moving to virtual events. The current and widespread economic downturn and the forecast for a long duration of this depressed business climate have forced the reduction in travel, marketing and meeting budgets. Physical events and meetings are being replaced by virtual activities to address this problem as well as improve customer engagement and build community.
Trade Show Producers
This is a company that is or was producing a physical trade show or exposition and is looking to grow additional revenue by adding virtual events to their current mix (if they are lucky) or they are more likely, trying to keep their audience/community engaged in their events but have found that the past and potential attendees don’t have budgets to travel. They are being forced in some cases, to go virtual and in others; they are embracing the move to virtual. In all cases, they are likely to want to improve the 365 days a year notion of community versus the event and then not engaging again until the next event.
Media Companies
This is a company that is publishing content and has a community or following or subscriber list and may or may not be producing a physical trade show or exposition and is looking to grow additional revenue by adding virtual events to their current mix or they are trying to keep their audience/community engaged with them and realize they need more content and value-rich interactivity to offer their community. Lower travel and traditional ad budgets are forcing the move to go virtual and some are embracing the move more than others. Some see this as an opportunity to change the nature of their business and gain more market share.
Event/Meeting Management Companies
This is a company who is or was producing a physical events and meetings on behalf and with corporate or association clients. They are seeing the shift of events and meetings from physical to virtual and are looking for ways to serve their clients in the virtual space as they did in the physical space. They’re being driven by a drastic reduction in client spending for events and meetings and need learn how to add value in the virtual space or risk losing clients and revenue. The shift is being driven largely by cuts in corporate travel budgets but is also being driven by clients that want to offer virtual event, meeting and community elements to their physical events.
Interactive Agencies
This is a company that is helping their clients design and implement digital event, meeting and community strategies and solutions that allow customers to engage with client companies in new, virtual ways. They are seeing the shift of events and meetings from physical to virtual and are looking for ways to serve their clients in the virtual space. They are aggressively looking at this space as a way to replace the reduction in client spending in other digital advertising and marketing areas as well as expand services to existing clients so that their clients don’t need to find other service providers to fulfill their needs.
Virtual Event, Meeting and Community Platforms/Providers
This is a company that is providing a platform solution or service that helps clients produce, host, market and measure virtual events, meetings and communities. They provide solution for virtual trade shows, conferences, expos, job fairs, meetings and community functions. They are seeing the shift to virtual accelerating very rapidly driven largely by cuts in corporate travel budgets but also with the shift toward offering content, solutions and community where, when and how customers want to engage.
Consultants
This is someone who is helping their clients develop strategies for taking events and meetings virtual and identifying more community-engaging features, functionality and tactics. They are seeing a tremendous need for planning and strategy assistance as corporate clients are moving rapidly to find and engage the benefits of virtual event, meeting and marketing solutions. Due to changes in travel spending as well as social media and web2.0 technologies that allow customers to engage with companies in new, virtual ways, companies are aggressively seeking change.
Functional Titles
Event Marketing Professional
may or may not have experience with virtual events and meetings but has extensive physical event planning, operations or marketing experience and is now looking to understand and learn about virtual events and meetings so that they can support these as well. Not technical and more geared toward the functional elements involved in producing events.
Marketing Professional
may or may not have experience with virtual events and meetings but probably has webinar and webcast experience and is always looking to find what’s new and how to do things better. May have physical event planning, operations and marketing experience and is now looking to understand and learn about virtual events so that they can leverage these as well. Not technical and more geared toward the functional elements involved in general marketing and event marketing.
Event Producer
may or may not have experience with virtual events and meetings but has probably had webinars and webcast experience and is now looking to find new revenue streams, ways to engage their sponsors and exhibitors and maintain and grow their audience. Not technical but has overall business, sales, marketing, content and strategy elements.
Publisher/Producer
may or may not have experience with virtual events and meetings but has probably had webinars and webcast experience and is now looking to find new revenue streams and ways to engage their advertisers with their audience. Not technical but has overall business, sales, marketing, content and strategy elements.
Digital Media Manager
may or may not have experience with virtual events and meetings but has probably had webinars and webcast experience and is always looking to find what’s new and how to do things better. May be highly technical or somewhat technical but has strategy elements as well.
Event Management Company Manager
may or may not have experience with virtual events and meetings but has probably had webinars and webcast experience and is now looking to find new revenue streams and ways to engage and retain their clients with the 0ve toward virtual. Not technical but has overall business, sales, marketing, strategy and client relationship elements.
Event Management Company Staff
may or may not have experience with virtual events and meetings but has extensive physical event planning, operations or marketing experience and is now looking to understand and learn about virtual events and meetings so that they can support these for their clients as well. Not technical and more geared toward the functional elements involved in producing events.
Community Creator/Producer
may or may not have experience with virtual events and meetings but has probably had webinars and webcast experience and is now looking to find new revenue streams and ways to engage their sponsors and their audience. Not extremely technical but has good web and web2.0 skills as well as overall business, sales, marketing, content and strategy elements.
Other
there may be people charged with looking at virtual events and meetings from any type of functional area in an organization as the concept is being investigated so widely and rapidly. Expect admin, content, sales, marketing, financial, etc. to be involved in evaluating, implementing and managing virtual events and meetings.