Predictions for 2011

I came across a question posed on the Focus website (http://www.focus.com/questions/marketing/virtual-events-trade-show-trends-what-are-biggest-trends/) and thought I would share my response on this blog:
My three predictions for 2011 are:

1. A move away from the 'literal' design of virtual events to a 'slicker', 'cooler' approach with the use of carousels for information (videos and documents) and virtual stands/booths for example.

2. Customisation of the visitor experience where exhibitors and content are displayed in a priority order based on the visitor profile, and access to platforms is integrated with popular social networking sites (primarily LinkedIn for B2B, Facebook for B2C).

3. Increased use of hybrid events by the large exhibition/conference companies leading to acquisition of companies (or partnerships) to bring the experience 'in-house'. Companies that will be targeted will not only be virtual event platform suppliers but players in the video production and webcasting arena.

In addition, I would also make a note that we should also see a greater realisation that the content presented on line should generally be of much higher production value (more like broadcast TV) and more effort will be made to present video in an engaging way (eg. using 2 or 3 camera set-ups rather than 1).