Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/4253
introduced to a new product or concept and wanted to meet the person or persons behind the idea as a way to validate the information and gain firsthand knowledge. That's a little tough to do on a podcast or webinar. Imagine motivating a sales force over the cold and sterile environment of a video monitor. That's like a comic perform- ing in an empty auditorium or a pastor with no parishioners. These events require an energetic exchange. Simply put, face- to-face will remain the best form of communication. But in these challenging economic times some are using technology in lieu of face time. Even some meeting planners have gotten into the act using virtual site selection as a substi- tute for an in person visit. While a virtual site visit might seem like a good cost saving measure, it's fraught with holes too numerous to mention here. Sain has seen the number of visitors to Orlando drop slight- ly from the 49 million who chose to spend a few days there in 2008. But now is not the time to panic according to Sain. In fact he says its one of opportunity. Sain points to the cyclical nature of any business and believes starting late next year our industry will rebound stronger and better than ever. So how does Sain plan to weath- er the current storm? Now is the time to "steal business," he says and we agree. Recessionary times are a wonderful opportunity to increase market share. Many suppliers have gone into hibernation wait- ing for the winter thaw. Now is the time for the counterintuitive approach and to pounce on the business your competitors are leaving behind using standard communications and virtual technology. The combination of the two is a great way to open the door of possibilities and gain new clients. I've spoken to many in our industry who fear technology as the great demon that will permanently destroy all that it comes in contact with, but Sain doesn't subscribe to that theory. He believes the intersection of social media and virtual technology with face-to-face gatherings if exploited properly could maxi- mize the meetings, conventions and leisure travel industry. "Technology on the virtual side is tremendous and there will always be a place for team meetings," at a significant savings using the virtual world, but "technology will not take the place of real value face-to-face meetings," says Sain. Think about a tradeshow where you are announcing a new product line. Direct contact between multiple buyers and sell- ers whether its business-to-business or business-to-consumer is still the best way to launch that product to the masses. How else can you incorporate interactive product demonstrations and reach a captive audience simultaneously? How about team building exercises? They are somewhat difficult to do over the phone or Internet. Think about all the distractions that come with a web-based meeting. You're sitting in an office or working from home. The other phone rings, you stop to read a memo or you're answer- ing emails. This list of interruptions is endless. Even in live meetings people are pounding away on their Blackberries, so imagine how tough it is to conduct virtual world meetings on a continuous basis. The question is how do we grow business given our new par- adigm? How do we merge technology with the meetings and convention business, balance the two and create highly inte- grated meaningful tradeshows and conventions? "We must get creative about generating more ideas that move business," and getting what Sain calls an ROI — a Return on Ideas. We must experiment and search for ways to merge technology into what we are doing as a destination to drive business. One tradeshow actually integrated technology into their event by having participants at a breakout session text answers to moderator questions while he was still on stage. Mobile technology is exploding, so how do you get messages to an attendee during an event or show about other meeting opportunities available at a particular tradeshow. How does an organization deliver the right message to a mobile device? Do you use rich media or simple text messages or a combination of the two? What is the right blend so as not to infringe upon or abuse the privacy of the recipient or become too intrusive? Let there be no doubt mobile content delivery is already here to stay. It's up to you to harness its power to communicate and integrate this technology into your convention or tradeshow. Sain is a believer in social media as a great tool to build a community and establish a following, with the fringe benefit of tremendous cost savings as compared to mass mailings and other forms of marketing, which as you all know can bleed a budget dry. One great application of technology on the leisure travel side of the ledger is a program Orlando calls "67 Days of Smiles." According to Sain, research has shown that it takes 67 days to see and do everything a typical visitor would do in Central Florida. So the folks in Orlando conducted a contest in search of two people for 67 days of fun and adventure. The contest was Internet driven and contestants had to submit videos, (some are still on Youtube) essays and agree to background checks. Hundreds of submissions were received and whittled down to 10 finalists who spent a few days in Orlando before the final pair was selected. The final 10 included brothers from Chula Vista, California and another set of brothers from Alberta, Canada — cousins raised in Germany and a couple from North Carolina and another couple from Melbourne, Australia. The finalists came from destinations all over the world, which should suggest the powerful nature of the Internet if used properly. The winners, both from New York have been provided a two-bedroom condo in downtown Orlando, cell phones, cam- eras, a rental car and $25,000 in living expenses. Their Orlando journey is set to begin on August 27, 2009, where they will visit more than 100 Orlando attractions and experience everything from rollercoaster riding to alligator wrestling, theater, dining and more. If you log onto Orlandoinfo.com and click on "67-days of Smiles" you will already see (at press time) a poll asking visi- tors to the site what the happy tourists should do first. The two winners will enter daily journals on Facebook, Black Meetings & Tourism October/November 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 31 Continued on page 33