Inside ICI VIRTUAL CONFERENCE On Investment Casting 2020 Virtual Technical Conference and Expo by Joseph E. Fritz, Executive Director, Investment Casting Institute


work from home, even once the country is


W


e truly live in changing times. In the US, 30% of the current workforce will continue to


fully open. Zoom daily usage has spiked to 200 million users per day from 10 million in March, and 50% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices. The fact is that since March 2020, event cancellations have affected 56 million people, and the ICI is but one of the many trade associations that have either postponed or cancelled events. We fully realize the importance of the role the Institute plays in providing the investment casting community with a platform for technical and commercial interchange.


With the


postponement of the World Conference on Investment Casting and associated equipment show, a major void was created in our 2020 offering. Hoping to come up with an alternative to fill this void, we turned our attention towards conducting a Technical Conference and Expo on a virtual platform. We were very pleased with what we found, and


6 ❘ June 2020 ®


feel it appropriate to share those finding with you. Virtual events have been around


for over 10 years in varying formats. All are cloud-based. Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, these platforms have been enhanced and utilized by trade associations to conduct exhibitions and conferences due to event cancellation with very favorable results.


Benefits • Virtual events allow presenters, exhibitors and delegates to conduct business without added cost of airfare, lodging, meals, shipping costs, decorator costs and time away from the office.


•


Associations that have used virtual platforms have reported record attendance levels due to reduced attendee costs.


• During normal conference hours, live paper presentations will be conducted and recorded for viewing at any time by delegates, eliminating the


need to sit through a six hour conference during work hours.


• Presenters can either deliver their papers live or prerecord and moderate them during normal conference hours.


• Q&A remains open 24 hours per day for all recorded presentations and exhibitor booths


• Though a live event lasts only three days, the virtual platform will remain active for a longer period, typically one to three months.


• Lead cultivation/retrieval is automatic for both exhibitors and presenters.


• Contact information and booth interaction details are retained for every attendee entering a virtual booth.


• Virtual event providers work with the exhibitor in booth design, so there is no need for exhibitors to employ a tech-savvy individual. Videos, papers, brochures and live chats are options.


• There are numerous sponsorship


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