3 Reasons Virtual Conferences are Great Tools for Remote Teams

Remember the good old days when your team got to go to conferences in cool locations? (I don't either, but if you ask your father I'll bet he remembers). Wouldn't it be great if even your remote employees got to hear great speakers, take part in discussions and learn from industry experts? Virtual conferences and trade shows are a way to get at least some of the benefits of attending these events without the cost and hassle of travel.

What is a virtual conference? They vary in format but essentially, attendees get time-limited access to a website that has live streaming video, recorded speeches, the ability to chat with other attendees and hear from vendors and suppliers in a virtual "expo hall", all through virtual reality technology. Basically all the features of a live conference without the annoying plastic name tag.

Here are some reasons you should consider having your remote team take advantage of opportunities like this:

1. Professional development is crucial to keeping your people loyal. Employee engagement studies show that training and development are a big reason why people remain loyal to an employer, and remote workers are often denied these opportunities because of travel costs. Virtual conferences are a great way to offer folks a chance to learn and develop very cost effectively. TIP If you pay for them to attend one of these events, make sure they block out the time to actually attend. This sends the message that even though it's online, their development is a priority for you and you take it seriously (as should they).
2. Sharing what they learned is great for team-building. The benefits of conference attendance usually don't filter down to other team members but it doesn't have to be that way. Most virtual conferences allow attendees to download presentations, white papers and other tools as well as view recordings after the event. Your people can then share worthwhile information with their teammates. This not only gives more people the benefit of the information, but is a great excuse for team members to get to shine in front of their peers. TIP Since learning about each other is so critical to building team relationships, schedule time on a team call or webmeeting to let the attendee "report out". What did they learn? What trends should the team be aware of? Who did they "meet"? Was the competition represented? Who were the speakers?.
3. Exposure to the technology helps people overcome resistance when you roll out tools. The biggest frustration when introducing new tools to your team is they just won't use them. When people get a chance to experience technology in non-threatening environments they are free to relax and enjoy the experience more. Once people see these tools used well they're more likely to get on board with your plans. TIP Take the opportunity to get some of your more technophobic people to participate in an online conference and make sure they have a specific goal in mind (reporting out to the group,for example). If they have a good reason to attend, and a mission to complete they'll be less likely to just tune out or skip the event entirely.

You can experience a taste of virtual conferences by visiting these sites. Yes they're vendors but you can check out the tools and take free tours:

6connex Inxpo Read more:

• How to hold a successful "Virtual World" meeting