Quick Study: Event Communicators Prefer Face-to-Face to Virtual; Women More Likely Than Men to Support Causes

â–¶ Virtual Events (Almost) Virtually Nonexistent: Exhibitor magazine’s 2011 Virtual Events Survey reveals that virtual events will not replace live, face-to-face events any time soon. More than 70% of corporate events executives are not earmarking any funds toward online events like webcasts and virtual meetings. Other findings include:

• Less than 40% of companies surveyed have ever participated in a virtual event, the majority of which participated as an attendee only, rather than as an exhibitor, sponsor, or organizer.

• Only 28% claim prior virtual efforts “met” or “exceeded” their expectations.

• Nearly half of respondents who have used virtual events reported that virtual events helped them increase their brand awareness, and 36% reported that their virtual events attracted attendees who did not attend live trade shows and events at which they participated, extending the reach of their campaigns.

• 68% of respondents who have participated in virtual events say they’d rather host a live event, most notably because they “miss the energy and networking of a live event” or because “attendees seemed less engaged during virtual events.”

Source: Exhibitor magazine

â–¶ Note to Self—Must Target Women for Cause Campaigns: Women are more apt to be believers in the power of individuals to make a difference by supporting causes, while men view supporting causes as a fad, according to the Dynamics in Cause Engagement study from Ogilvy PR and Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication. When it comes to social media, women are more likely than men to recognize the role that sites like Facebook can play in facilitating cause involvement. Other findings include:

• Two-thirds of women (65%) believe that social networking sites can increase visibility for causes, and 6 in 10 (60%) believe they allow people to support causes more easily.

• Women are more likely to support causes through promotional social media activities (e.g., joining a cause group on Facebook, posting a logo to a social profile, contributing to a blog) than men (17% vs. 12%, respectively).

• Women turn to social media as a source of cause information more often than men—though for both, this lags far behind traditional TV, print media sources and personal relationships.

• Nearly three-quarters of men and women agree that e-mails about causes can sometimes feel like spam, and about half of both populations admit that they get too many cause-related e-mails now.

Source: Ogilvy PR/Georgetown University