We have talked so much about second screen experiences over the last five years and how that screen can enhance and augment the primary screen, where we are probably watching a live event. One thing that has happened in the past seven months is that the second screen has become a sports business home for a different kind of “live” event, the business Zoom seminar…and there are almost as many of them during the week as there are live games.
There was a time when we went to live events…in person events…top learn, have random catchups with industry professionals and get quality time in cities far and wide for other functions. It was the social part of social media, and if you worked at it a bit, you always left with a little more in the memory and relationship bank than you did when you arrived.
The events usually took deference on each other and tried not to schedule on top of each other. There was plenty of room in the calendar for everyone. When there was an overlap or conflict, it was usually resolved the following year. While competitive, no one really wanted to step on each other’s thunder.
The last of those events was the MIT Sloan Analytics Conference in Boston in early March. I was reminded this week that amongst all the fist bumps and rumors going around that I had half-jokingly mentioned to a colleague or two that we may not physically see each other at another event like this for some time.
Now almost eight months later we have no realistic idea when we will actually “see” an event like that again, and that makes me sad.
However in the time since Rudy Goubert and others shocked us into the reality we are now in we have learned that the “second screen” experience is one where we have to sort through any number of Zoom webinars tied to sports business or other topics…an offering of as many as EIGHT on any given day. They come in all shapes and sizes, free and paywalled, live and taped, and they cover almost any topic needed. Some post-free views after the event, some look for dollars to watch after the live event, some offer added value for a fee like networking and career advice, others are done to support an event or causes. They go on and on, and fly in the face of the actual live events that we used to attend…piled on top of each other, many with the opportunity to hear a POV from a new voice on a topic, some looking only for clicks and the same voices we have heard before…some in consecutive days on almost the same topic.
The second screen has become an audio channel for sports business advice and some potential learnings.
The good news is you can derive value if you go into these with a plan. The bad news is there are so many events now, and we lose interest on a screen much faster than we do in person, that sometimes much of the best advice gets lost in the mix. You can hear the topics, but can you really listen.
Now glutton for punishment that I am, I do download what I hope are the most interesting topics and most unique voices and play them back when I’m out for a run or a walk, or driving, or late at night when I can’t sleep. I have a good habit of being able to soundbite relevant advice and then stockpiling that information, or the new voice, away for when I can adequately piece together a new narrative or share those pearls of wisdom for another project.
Sadly, still a good deal of the listening and the information can be repetitive…do I really need six sports gambling panels on the same week?
Nope.
However we can keep searching for new information and new virtual events, I do think that most go into them with the plan of creating value and dialogue, and most are trying to identify an audience, from students to job seekers, that may be unique. The best ones are great at cherry picking information and sharing that information creatively on social…that becomes an appetite whether that can make people listen again or engage in the next virtual event that cuts through the clutter. Most, sadly, do a poor job at the social side, just hoping to pull people in with endless invites and talk of amazing speakers, many of which are the same.
Then there is the user experience. In an industry like sports or media or entertainment, the user experience in such a crowded inline field should be pristine. Great links, solid visuals, some interesting information, a way to connect with others and on you go. In reality for many events, the user experience is poor or just OK. Now maybe it’s because the event organizers just want to get events up and out. I have watched several where the “Host,” sometimes it’s a sponsor, doesn’t even take the time to properly pronounce the guests name or title correctly. Or in the case of a sponsored panel, it is such an insider’s conversation that the value for a viewer or listener is almost zero. Boring.
So, what to do, especially as the idea of virtual events will be growing, not subsiding, well into 2021?
Some thoughts.
Work to find your own window. There are times and days when there aren’t events. Please no one else pick Wednesday at noon eastern time.
Use the Social Space To Share Tidbits From Your Event and Tag people of Interest. Those little snippets are invaluable and ill probably gain you more followers down the road. What are you sacrificing by dedicating time to good social conversation? A few downloads? Build to a following by seeding great snippets.
If You Find New Voices, Make Sure They Are Relevant: many events are still catering to “big name” teams, who are providing people with the third or fourth string, people with little or no share of voice, but a nice organization name. However some times those people, rising stars, actually have a unique POV. If that’s the case set them up right. Tell us why they are of value, don’t let them suffer. Give us interesting thought leaders from all walks of life and explain to us in advance why we should care about them. The best seminars are from a mix of a person I know and from someone new to the scene with a unique POV or product. I learn from them much more than the risk averse senior leader Zooming in for the fourth event in a month.
Do A Solid Summary: Show me snippets of what was unique in video and print and let me share it. Also, reshare EVERYONE who takes the time to say something of value about your event. You are probably monitoring the social space, let those young people who are engaged know you are watching and are thankful.
Keep It Short and Simple: No one can listen to most events for over an hour. The best podcasts deliver in 45 minute or less. Do the same with your events. Delver great content share it and move on. People have limited time, don’t have them lose interest with multitier chats.
Less Participants the Better The Conversation: Everyone has a POV on a panel. Don’t load up with five or six people for 45 minutes. Maybe it helps pay the bill, but it kills engagement. Hard to get out the right thought when you have people falling all over each other.
Invest In Quality Moderators: Last point, moderators are key. If someone is paying for a panel, and we see it more and more, maybe work with them on a host, or find someone who can do a good job to keep conversation not just going out interesting. The person running that show will drive your engagement.
Now none of this is easy, and event companies and media properties are getting more and more angst if their revenue sources were live events. I get that, but I also get that we are going to be at this virtual event platform for quite a while…wait until we get to virtual Radio Row at the Super Bowl!
So, let’s try and find ways to get back to the top of this…enhance that second screen experience for virtual events. There are lots of best practices to learn from…but quality, and a solid user experience…not quantity is what we need.
Thanks for trying, lets see where we go!
