I had the pleasure of attending Expo Expo with my husband, Jason in Atlanta this week. Expo Expo is the annual meeting of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE). The hot topic of the meeting was social media and since I live for social media, I was really excited to be there. I’m still trying to digest all the information from the week, but a few things stood out for me and I wanted to get them down here before they escape me.
- Every person who is immersed in social media on a daily basis should attend an event outside of social media and talk with people who are just beginning to navigate this new media.
- Social media will never replace face-to-face meetings completely. Social media only makes you want the face-to-face more.
- You can not outsource your social media to a third party. A third party can teach you to navigate the social media jungle, but they can not do it for you.
- Remember to take a step back at times and just listen.
These four points have been spinning around in my head for the last few days and I will digest them and go into more detail in the coming weeks.
What are your thoughts on these points? Do you have anything to add that stood out?
carrieferenac (Carrie Ferenac)
December 12, 2009
Twitter Comment
Great take-aways! RT @scrappinmichele A Quick Recap of My IAEE Expo Expo Adventure [link to post] #iaee #expoexpo
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Dave Lutz
December 12, 2009
Michelle, it was so nice to meet Jason’s better half! I’m still a little ticked that you out-tweeted me as a guest attendee…but hey you’re the ‘Mom Geek’, right?
You jumped right in and we were delighted to have you help spread the good word about the value of face2face events.
Adding to your excellent points above, I would say:
- Social media helps accelerate and improve one’s ability to network face2face. I’m not going to do serious business with someone I meet online, but that can definitely open up doors and help grow enough trust to do significant transactions and partnerships together.
- Communities that are organized around an event need some sort of community management. They need someone(s) that will help connect the community members and spark conversation.
- We don’t build relationships with companies, but rather the people that represent those companies.
I’m confident that this will continue to evolve quickly and that we’ll all have new and better ways of leveraging face2face and online interactions.
I hope our paths cross again!
Dave Lutz – @velchain
Velvet Chainsaw Cconsulting
Michele McGraw
December 24, 2009
Excellent point, Dave! Enjoyed meeting you too.
I particuarly like your point about building relationships with people and not companies. So true.
Michael Thimmesch
December 12, 2009
Hello Michele,
Thanks for the great recap. I also attended the Social Media session at Expo! Expo! I think you nailed the main takeaways, especially about Social Media helping fuel attendance, and that you can’t oursource Social Media.
Other points that hit home with me:
> Virtual events will only be a threat if your live trade show sucks and produces low ROI.
> Second Life people have a conference to meet face to face…so that really shows the human desire to meet face to face.
> Social Media is not free — there is a cost in time and commitment.
> Don’t try to create your own community — find where they already are, join them, and provide value.
Regards,
Michael Thimmesch
Skyline Exhibits
http://www.skylinetradeshowtips.com
Michele McGraw
December 24, 2009
I found it interesting that Second Life people have a face to face event too. That really does show how powerful the face to face really is.
skylineexhibits (skyline exhibits)
December 13, 2009
Twitter Comment
RT @carrieferenac: Great take-aways! RT @scrappinmichele A Quick Recap of My IAEE Expo Expo Adventure [link to post] #iaee #expoexpo
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VelChain (Dave Lutz)
December 13, 2009
Twitter Comment
RT @scrappinmichele: A Quick Recap of My IAEE Expo Expo Adventure [link to post] #iaee #expoexpo You rock, Michele!
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michaelflavin (Michael Flavin)
December 13, 2009
Twitter Comment
RT @SkylineExhibits RT @carrieferenac: RT @scrappinmichele Quick Recap of My IAEE Expo Expo Adventure [link to post] #iaee #expoexpo
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Cheryl
December 13, 2009
Great points. So true about Social Media makes you want the face to face more. I look forward to your more detailed posts. Glad you had an awesome time. Welcome back!
.-= Cheryl´s last blog ..I Heart NY =-.
Stephen Nold
December 16, 2009
Michele,
Great post.
I think the one ‘gem’ that I grabbed from this event was the opportunity for events to teach their membership how to launch into social media. What a great way for our industry to reach the 70% that are not participating yet. Thanks for your exhaustive coverage of IAEE Expo Expo.
- stephen
Carrie Ferenac
December 17, 2009
I agree Michelle! The point about not outsourcing was especially important to me. We had talked about hiring someone to update our Facebook and Twitter accounts, and I’ve scrapped the idea. (no pun intended!) During ExpoExpo, I realized that a company twitter account will never be as affective as my personal account. It’s all about building relationships, and being a part of the discussion.
Michele McGraw
December 24, 2009
You got it! And I love the pun, BTW! It really ist he relationships and no one can speak for you when building relationships.
scrappinmichele (Michele McGraw)
December 17, 2009
Twitter Comment
RT @theexpogroup Nuggets wisdom frm #expoexpo via @scrappinmichele blog w/ comments frm @velchain & mor [link to post] [Thx 4 sharing]
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theexpogroup (Dana Freker Doody)
December 17, 2009
Twitter Comment
Nuggets of wisdom from #expoexpo via @scrappinmichele blog with comments from @velchain and more [link to post] [Thx for sharing]
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