[Please click on the link to read about OMTAC EventChanneler's Backchannel Services.]

EVENTCHANNELER ARTICLE: 'MANAGING YOUR EVENT BACKCHANNEL' [OMTAC EVENT SERVICES]

FULL ARTICLE: MANAGING & EXPLOITING YOUR EVENT BACKCHANNEL

(Please click on the link to read an abbreviated version of this article and to learn more about EventChanneler's Backchannel Services.)

WHAT IS THE BACKCHANNEL?

Without a backchannel members of an audience who are unhappy with a presentation or some other aspect of an Event are relatively isolated and may not have the confidence to voice their concerns widely, and even if they do so with other delegates or with the Speaker(s) and Event organisers, their comments may not be shared with the majority of other delegates.

It is important because it is relevant - relevant to your Delegates/attendees, to your Sponsors, to your Exhibitors, to your Speakers, to your Suppliers… and ultimately to your bottom line and the future of your Event.

Every Event now has a backchannel, whether sanctioned and facilitated by the Event or not, due to the popularity of electronic devices (laptops, mobile devices etc) and online communication and networking platforms and applications such as Twitter, Meebo, Skype, LinkedIn, Facebook etc. A number of specialist backchannel systems are also available.

Backchannel conversations can be distracting both for the delegates and the Speaker, it can even provide an outlet for the expression of audience dissatisfaction with the presentation, whether about the topics being covered, the accuracy of examples and case studies (fact checking), the delivery methods of the Speaker, the audio visual system and environment, the organisation of the Event etc etc.

The backchannel can influence the audience, both positively and negatively. There are examples of the backchannel turning delegates hostile against a Speaker and/or Event organisers because of the information and comments being shared.

The backchannel can also be official, sanctioned by the Event organisers and/or the Speaker(s), and be used to enhance the presentation with immediate feedback and comments, ideas and information provided by the audience, channelled to the Speaker, possibly projected on to large screens around the stage so that the Speaker and the whole audience can access the backchannel stream.

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IS THE BACKCHANNEL RELEVANT TO EVENT ORGANISERS?

Without a backchannel members of an audience who are unhappy with a presentation or Event are relatively isolated and may not have the confidence to voice their concerns widely, and even if they do so with other delegates or with the Speaker(s) and Event organisers, their comments may not be shared with the majority of other delegates.

However with the backchannel enabling members of an audience to share their opinions, ideas and insights with each other in real-time, and also with non-attendees following the Event online, those attending an Event can soon discover if their views are popular and if their satisfaction or dissatisfaction is commonly held.

This can encourage members of an audience, especially those who are unhappy with a presentation, to be more vocal during a presentation, challenging the Speaker(s) with more confidence in their opinions and/or facts. Audience members have even been known to dare each other to heckle the stage during a presentation if it is not meeting their expectations.

Of course it should be remembered that not all the members of an audience are necessarily able to participate in the backchannel, or choose to do so. Those engaged in both the front and back channels will inevitably have a different experience and perspective on an Event to those who are focussed on the frontchannel only. The latter may therefore be less distracted and more satisfied with the presentation overall than the former, though they may themselves be distracted by other audience members around them who are using devices.

A Speaker’s experience in giving a presentation can also be greatly affected by the extent to which the audience are engaged in the backchannel, or simply taking notes and doing research on their laptops and other devices. A Speaker looking out across his or her audience now is likely to have a much lower level of engagement with delegates than in the past, instead of making eye-contact with the whole audience a Speaker may now be looking at the bowed heads of delegates using their laptops etc.

Inevitably a growing number of Speakers are attempting to interact with and use the backchannel during their presentations - the methodology and process they employ for this (whether for polling, to collate comments or information, to ask and answer questions etc), the help they receive from the Event organisers and what people are saying in the backchannel will all have a considerable impact on their presentation, for better or worse.

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HOW CAN EVENT & MEETING PLANNERS MANAGE & EXPLOIT THE BACKCHANNEL?

The backchannel is evolving. These are still early days but there is no question, the backchannel is not going away and the potential impact on Events, both positive and negative, is huge.

There will be some form of backchannel at every type of Event, large and small.

Whether a few delegates at a Conference... or audience members at a sales launch... or attendees at a Trade Show… there will be people sharing their experiences, their ideas, their opinions etc in real-time with each other within the Event and with others not present.

Your attendees may be blogging, Tweeting, updating their status, emailing, texting or Instant Messaging.

Their comments may be read by a few or by many, their readers and followers may be existing delegates and attendees, prospective delegates and attendees for future events, the media/press, other opinion leaders etc.

Event and Meeting Planners (and their Sponsors, Exhibitors and Speakers) who continue to ignore the backchannel do so at their peril.

To leave the backchannel at your Event as an ungoverned and lawless 'Wild West' is to risk trouble and to miss considerable opportunity. There are rich gold seams to be mined, there is huge potential to enrich and extend your Event through an overt, strategic approach to the backchannel.

The backchannel is not something that can necessarily be completely managed or controlled, and the extent to which it is appropriate to facilitate, manage and perhaps moderate the backchannel at an Event will depend on the type of Event, those attending, your resources and objectives etc.

At the very least you will need to monitor the backchannel, you will need to provide support and advice to your Sponsors, Exhibitors, Suppliers and Speakers in how to deal with it, you will need to collect information (comments, insights, content etc) from it. However you could go much much further and really exploit the backchannel for the benefit of all parties involved.

Certainly the backchannel represents tremendous opportunity for any Event or Meetings Planner if utilised appropriately. For example it can encourage interaction and improve the engagement of delegates with the Speakers they are listening to and the Event they are attending, it can give Sponsors and Exhibitors greater access to attendees, it can serve as an inexpensive way to poll delegates and to gather new content and factual information, it can greatly increase the benefits to all those participating, with present or observing from outside the Event.

The backchannel is therefore an incredible resource for Event organisers, it could prove to have hugely positive implications for the way your Events are held and perceived. Most importantly perhaps, it could help reduce costs and improve revenues and also to generate additional registrations for future Events.

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[Please click on the link to read an abbreviated version of this article and to learn more about EventChanneler's Backchannel Services.]

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Thank you for your interest in EventChanneler and our Events Services, we look forward to hearing from you and to meeting you soon.

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