These were large virtual experiences, even by today's standards: more than a 1.4 million visits, 650,000+ document downloads, 315,00+ video views (there was far less video content in 2006 - hard to imagine now).
Much has changed since then. But while there are now a multitude of "platform providers," most of them still cling to this early concept of replicating trade shows, fairs and expos. Unfortunately, much of the expertise in the virtual software space is derived from events, as well. More problematic, many technology platforms are designed for events and are too rigid to take advantage of where the long-term opportunities will be found.
The real opportunities are in persistent Web presences, sometimes referred to as "evergreen programs". These "always on" virtual environments are flexible, measurable and engaging when properly deployed - all the things that the average corporate Web site is not.
When you include the significant social networking options the best platforms offer, what you end up with is actually quite extraordinary - a marketers dream: fully manageable, fully measurable, fully actionable rich media Web properties managed from a central console.
Persona-based user paths, entitlement, on-the-fly text chat translation, high quality video controls and more can be found on some platforms, enabling marketers to delve deeply into customer behaviors and to shorten sales cycles.
We look forward to the day when all virtual "event" platforms are called virtual "experience" platforms. That's where the true value lies.
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