1,440+ Professionals Attend Elearning! Summit 11.05.09

Professionals Embrace Enhanced Virtual Trade Show

Elearning! Media Group, an industry trade brand produced by B2B Media Co., says that the Elearning! Summit virtual trade show hosted on Nov. 5, 2009, attracted 1,445 registered attendees.  The audience was very active with 2,491 Web-session visits, 2,000+ downloads and active participation in live Q&As and chats.

“The participation level was phenomenal and an indication that executives need event options that are flexible, comprehensive, participative and available from their desktops,” reported Catherine Upton, publisher of Elearning! magazine.

In a time when professionals are doing more with less staff and travel budgets are being slashed, the Elearning! Summit provides executives with an effective and affordable alternative.  The Summit provides Web seminars that highlight trends and best practices as well as a “virtual” expo hall packed with resources and experts.

This Summit also featured new social media elements.  For the first time, attendees could chat via Skype, tweet, and post happenings to Facebook pages.  “Up to 77% of our audience is using or planning to use social media for enterprise learning,” said Upton.  “This enhancement allowed attendees to test virtual learning and collaboration within a high content and networked environment.  In all, it was a complete success.”

The virtual nature of the Elearning! Summit also enables the creation of an event with highly relevant and current topics, bringing buyers and sellers together within 90 days.  The Summit boasted six Web sessions, the most popular being “Enterprise Social Collaboration,” “Best Practices: Performance Measurement” and the “Best of Elearning! Awards.”

Audience Actions
Attendees were very active in the Resource Center and Exhibit Hall.  The typical attendee visited for more than two hours, downloaded 18 product files, 8 presentations and 134 whitepapers and resources.  “The robust attendance and visitor activity is an indication that the Elearning! Summit serves an important and pressing need of this buying audience,” summarized Upton.

What Attendees Say

“Thanks for putting this virtual event together. Great job! I love this virtual conference. What a great experience so far.”  – J. Papakalos, JRMP Enterprises
“I feel like a kid in a candy store.”  – C. Ulander, ADP

 “Don’t you love it!  This is a really good way to get people engaged.  I ‘walked’ around the lounge and ‘talked’ to people.” —M. Krug, NOAA, Department of Commerce.

Who Attends

The November Elearning! Summit attracted high-level executives, 43% of whom owned CxO and senior management titles.  The industry make-up reflects the “heavy users” of e-learning with attendees in public sector (30%), financial services (15%), health care (9%) and manufacturing (8%) leading the categories.

Eighty-nine percent of attendees have buying authority, and 84% report a current e-learning initiative. Attendees are purchasing a wide range of solutions including authoring tools (45%), Web conferencing (33%), social networks (30%) and learning content (30%.)

Sponsor Feedback

According to exhibitors, buyers were actively engaging in sourcing solutions.  Sponsors have reported up to 150 live demos and a 10-fold return on investment at previous Summits.  “We connected with five new serious prospects during the live day … a very good outcome for our first event,” touted Wendy Ruano of OnePlanet.

Available On-Demand

The Elearning! Summit is available on-demand for 90 days.  Typically, 80% of registered attendees return to the event multiple times after the live day, and many new visitors discover the Summit.  The event on-demand link is:  events.unisfair.com/index.jsp; Registration is complimentary for those who qualify.  The Elearning! Summit 11.05.09 will remain available until Feb. 3, 2010.

2010 Event Calendar

Future Elearning! Summits are scheduled for April 24 and Nov. 4, 2010. Each will focus on specific themes and reflect the changing needs of the industry and audience.  April sessions will address social learning, launching e-learning and a “Solutions Showcase.”

To register for the upcoming events, visit www.2elearning.com.  For companies wishing to present or sponsor an upcoming Elearning! Summit, please telephone (888) 201-2841 x845 or e-mail  sales@2elearning.com.