Transcript:
Angel Micarelli (00:06):
I’m Angel Micarelli. I am the senior vice president of strategy and content here at Cramer, and I’m absolutely delighted to be sitting here with David Meerman Scott. He is an acclaimed best–selling author of 11 books, four of which are international bestsellers and includes one of my favorites, Fanocracy. You are a sought–after keynote speaker and a sales and marketing strategist to some of the biggest companies in the world, so we are very happy to have you here.
David Meerman Scott (00:41):
Oh, thanks for having me on. This is great.
Angel Micarelli (00:42):
Great. Today we are talking about raising the bar on virtual events.
David Meerman Scott (00:47):
Yes.
Angel Micarelli (00:48):
Because I know this is something you’re deeply involved with. Let’s talk first of all about the audience, that their expectations are changing. Aren’t they?
David Meerman Scott (00:56):
Oh, big time. You know, we all went to virtual over the last several months of the pandemic because all of the in–person events have canceled or postponed, and so everyone is scrambling virtual, virtual, virtual, and initially a lot of them were very poorly organized and designed. It was basically take one of the webinar softwares and do something, but we’re learning a lot about it now and audiences are demanding that these are much better than just talking to your grandmother on Zoom, and so it’s really great that Cramer and other organizations are helping organizations to figure out how to do these things in a much better way than so many companies are doing them right now.
Angel Micarelli (01:46):
Absolutely. You know, I’d love to get your perspective on what goes into a sophisticated virtual event.
David Meerman Scott (01:54):
I think the key is that it’s not a theatrical event the way that an in–person event is, but rather it’s more like television. That’s why to do it really well, having a studio like this is fabulous. Having people who are skilled at bringing in remote feeds of other people, building in elements of surprise, having the audience somehow be engaged and be interactive. But what’s so important is that to do that in a way where the speaker, people like me, can focus on speaking and not focus on the technology, but when real a sophisticated, great event is happening, all of the background is happening with staff that can make it work brilliantly. It’s way different experience for the audience, because the speakers can focus on what they’re good at, which is speaking.
Angel Micarelli (02:58):
Yeah, absolutely. Well, you know you’re preaching to the choir on that one.
David Meerman Scott (03:01):
You, no kidding, right?
Angel Micarelli (03:03):
You know, so much of that was from the audience perspective and the speaker perspective, which is great. Let’s talk about the companies that are putting on the events, those sales and marketing teams. What is in it for them to raise the bar in these events?
David Meerman Scott (03:19):
This helps to build fans, no question about it. When you can create an event that somebody can come to in their living room, even when they’re not going to the office, which is as we’re recording this that’s what’s happening right now, then you build fans and you get people who are engaged with what you’re doing at a time that they may not be able to do that in–person, and there’s lots of studies that show that video used effectively can be as powerful as in–person. But again, the key, it has to be done well, because just tossing something up doesn’t work so well anymore.
Angel Micarelli (03:58):
You know, as we’re talking, I’m thinking there is a certain intimacy when you’re doing it on video, isn’t it? With the audience.
David Meerman Scott (04:06):
Oh yeah.
Angel Micarelli (04:07):
There’s kind of a one–to–one.
David Meerman Scott (04:08):
Yeah, and it actually comes from neuroscience because the mirror neurons in our brain feel as if you’re actually seeing somebody, which is precisely why you feel you know a movie star. You’ve never met that movie star, you know intellectually you’ve never met that movie star, but your mirror neurons in your brain fire and say, “I know that person,” and that’s what organizations can build by creating a great virtual event using a studio like this beautiful studio we’re in right now to engage with an audience.
Angel Micarelli (04:40):
So it sounds like you are a fan of virtual events.
David Meerman Scott (04:44):
I’m a fan of virtual events.
Angel Micarelli (04:45):
Good. Good.
David Meerman Scott (04:45):
No question.
Angel Micarelli (04:46):
Being a fan now, are you expecting that they’re here to stay?
David Meerman Scott (04:51):
I think so. I think that virtual events are here to stay. I also think that there’s going to be hybrids where it’s an in–person event with a virtual component, but it has to reimagine what that virtual component is and not simply do a video recording of the in–person event.
Angel Micarelli (05:08):
Absolutely. We cannot go backwards, because we have raised the bar.
David Meerman Scott (05:13):
We have indeed raised the bar.
Angel Micarelli (05:14):
And going to keep it. Great. Well, I know we had limited time today, but I am looking forward to having you back, and next time let’s talk about content.
David Meerman Scott (05:23):
Let’s do it.
Angel Micarelli (05:23):
Because that’s such an important part.
David Meerman Scott (05:24):
Absolutely.
Angel Micarelli (05:25):
Great. Thank you.
Join us as we sit down with David Meerman Scott, keynote speaker and marketing expert, to discuss what it means to raise the bar in our virtual world.