Stephen Nold

Top Technologies for 2008: Social Networking
March 3, 2008

Much has been written about social networking tools and yet they still are evolving into the form that best answers the needs for the meetings industry. A social network uses software to build online communities of people who share interests and activities.  Since the point of events is to meet people and share information, social networking is the easiest way to facilitate this process before and after an event.  

Social networking technology has become so robust that show organizers can customize the tools to get the specific functionalities needed for specialized events of any size.  Most social networks are primarily web-based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, file sharing, blogging, and discussion groups, etc.

Since social networks can accelerate the sales cycle by establishing connections prior to an event; this can be beneficial for exhibitors and sponsors looking to increase their lead generation efforts. These networks can create a sales pipeline for exhibitors selling products and services. Show producers can also use social networks for advertising in the form of banners and text ads. Since trade shows are extending their operations globally, social networks can also make it easier to generate contacts around the world.

Posted by Stephen Nold on March 3, 2008 | Comments (0)