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Follow our step-by-step guide to ensure success in this new-fangled technology. Basic principles still apply

After the initial marketing hype surrounding virtual worlds, this platform has emerged as a significant option for organisations with geographically dispersed stakeholders (employees, clients, conference delegates) to come together in a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly virtual setting to exchange information and experiences.
Many organisations are now using virtual world meetings as a way of enhancing their regular meetings by being able to interactively involve more people who would ordinarily be unable to attend.
There are basically three ways of utilising this technology – DIY (using in-house resources to construct virtual world environments), using a specialist service provider (such as us!) or using a ready-made solution (such as Immersive WorkSpaces).
Whatever solution is used, the same step-by-step approach is necessary to ensure a successful event. Read on to find out how.

Step 1: Gain commitment from participants. Some people may
have misconceived ideas formed from reading about virtual worlds in the popular press. Produce a document that sets out the objectives for the event and the benefits of holding it in this environment.

Step 2: Make the joining procedure as seamless and secure as possible. Even using public virtual worlds, it is possible to run the set up from behind your own firewall with a corporate look and feel to the process. Research and overcome any technical issues beforehand such as internet connectivity, graphic card capabilities or firewall issues.

Step 3: Ensure competence in particular for navigating and communicating. Aim to get people into the virtual world about two weeks before the event and provide both self-paced and ‘face to face’ training. Have someone around in the virtual world to greet people as they arrive for the first time.

Step 4: Establish rules of conduct. Even though this is a virtual world, people are still representing your organisation and as tempting as it may be to experience everything that virtual worlds offer, a professional approach is required. This covers how the various modes of communication should be used and things like a dress code.

Step 5: Rehearse with the speakers not only how they will use the communication tools but seemingly trivial things like where they will sit and what they will do afterwards. It is a good idea to invest some time to customise the speakers’ avatars (digital represen-tations of themselves) so that they will appear familiar to the delegates – one could even customise their avatars’ mannerisms so that they were even more recognisable.

Step 6: During the event: whether it is a conference, management meeting, trade show or product launch having helpers on hand to assist anyone having difficulties helps the event.

Step 7: After the event: if possible and taking security issues into account, it is a good idea to leave the event content such as PowerPoint presentations and videos available for people to come back in their own time if they should want to review the materials again.
Get feedback from both speakers and participants about what worked and what didn’t in using this medium. Try to elicit some anecdotal stories – old friends meeting up or new business contacts made that can be used when writing up a review of the event to add interest. Calculate savings on carbon emissions and travel costs achieved by the event.

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