Transitioning to Virtual and Hybrid Events. Ben Chodor

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       This book is dedicated to all the dreamers who never let the world put them in a box!

       I need to thank Sam Gilbert for being the first person who believed in me at 16. Marvin Share, who gave me incredible advice when I was just starting my journey as an adult, and Lee Perlman, who thought my first streaming idea was worth funding. Perry Shelman, who believed in me enough to help change my life forever, and Drew VanVooren, a true visionary, who was taken from this world way too soon and believed in me from the moment we met and whom I had the privilege of calling a friend and partner. John Shlonsky, Matt Nord, Robert Kaslow‐Ramos, and Apollo Global Management, who entrusted me with the keys to build, grow, and dominate at Intrado, and the entire Intrado Digital Media team, whom I go to bed every night hoping I did right by. Gabriella Cyranski, who tirelessly worked on this book with me; without her we would not have made our deadline: you are so talented, and it was an honor to do this with you!

      Most importantly my ride‐or‐die partner for life, my wife, Julie, and my inspirations, Rachel and Zachary, who taught me what unconditional love means.

      Also, a special thanks to Dan Lotzof, Kathleen Alcorn, Scott Farb, Malcolm Lotzof, Lisa Davis, Erik Carlson, Simon Ball, Nancy Disman, John Whalen, Spiro Yulis, Dan Rehal, Mike McCauley, Bob Spass, Steve Manket, Sylvie Harton, Keith Barrett, Jim Phalen, Angelo Alduino, Adam Cohen, Christina Guthrie, and Michael Campbell.

FOREWORD

      If you are reading this book, you are interested in either running your first virtual event or taking your existing virtual events to a new level. In either case, you have come to the right place.

      There is no question that today with the physical event world temporarily ceasing to exist as a result of regional lockdowns from COVID‐19, the world of virtual events is thriving. However, virtual events themselves are not new. As CEO of INXPO, now part of Intrado, the leading online event platform, Ben and I have been delivering virtual events since 2004.

      I originally met Ben, who at the time was CEO of Stream57, the leading video streaming platform, in early 2005. Even at that time we were both passionate believers that video delivered over the Internet was about to disrupt the event business. Ben was focused on video capture and streaming while we were focused on how to put a full event online. Combining our virtual event platform together with Ben's streaming services and technology, we have delivered some of the earliest high‐performing interactive virtual events for some of the world's largest organizations and have been doing so for over 15 years.

      Since that time, Ben and I have collaborated on multiple projects culminating in the sale of our company, INXPO, to Ben, who is currently president of Intrado Digital Media. My respect for Ben's understanding of this space, and his passion for disruption in this space, goes without saying. Ben is also the consummate technology leader. His focus on positivity, humility, and honesty makes him a leader that people trust and follow, allowing him to have successfully built multiple technology companies.

If you are in the market to host a virtual event, there is no better source of information available to you than this book. It is based on many years of practical hard‐earned experience. Just because an event is online does not mean it's a no brainer to produce. Many components like organizing content, driving an audience, registration, and driving outcomes are the same in both physical and virtual events. However, technology plays a much larger role on the virtual side.

      By reading this book you will have a much better appreciation for all the intricacies of hosting a successful virtual event. Your knowledge level will increase dramatically without ever having hosted your own virtual event, courtesy of Ben's hard‐earned experiences.

      –Malcolm Lotzof

INTRODUCTION

      I have been in the digital media space since 1999, and I now have the honor of leading 1,300 global professionals at Intrado Digital Media, where we are working with over 13,000 clients around the world helping them deliver mission‐critical communications to their employees, customers, media, and investors. I have always believed that virtual events add to any physical event and that all organizations should be taking most of their events hybrid; to me it's all about reaching your audience wherever they are, and on any device they choose.

      So, let's get one thing straight: Virtual events do not cannibalize physical events; the world is what cannibalizes physical events. If you create meaningful and engaging virtual events, they're going to drive your audience to want to be there physically if they can.

      I have had the honor to work with some of the most recognizable brands in the world and some of the most talented and creative people. We've helped an incredible number of organizations make the leap into the world of virtual events. Throughout this book we will not only tell you about going virtual, we will give you the tools and know‐how to help make your move into this exciting world that is needed now more than ever before. For those of you already creating virtual events we will give you some insight on what works and doesn't work, as well as plenty of checklists, best practices, and tips; consider this book your virtual events playbook!

      Let's start with my journey into this world of streaming, hybrid, and virtual events so I can show you why I'm the guy that can successfully guide you through your virtual event journey.

      My first hybrid event was for a