A one-hour head to head webinar with Angie Smith, Cisco’s Global Sales Experience Manager, who was responsible for organising the company’s first ever entirely online Global Sales Experience for 20,000 people in 2009 has revealed some valuable and candid lessons for other meetings and events industry professionals.

Smith’s interview debunks some of the myths about the costs of running large-scale virtual events and how they compare to face-to-face. She also explains that, although the company’s communications goals for the event were fully met, other goals for recognition and motivation fell short.  In feedback, Cisco sales teams made it clear that looking their peers and directors in the eye and receiving recognition and applause in front of a live audience is fundamental to feeling rewarded and appreciated, no matter how exciting other elements can be. 

The webinar, which was broadcast live using Cisco’s Webex and LiveStream technology, shows Smith in conversation with David Kliman, President of the Kliman Group, as part of the IMEX Meetings for Success programme.

The interview reveals:-

-    How much participants must be consulted about virtual event content in order to feel engaged
-    The true scale of the technology challenge, even when you’re a leading technology company
-    How Board level buy-in is critical to success and credibility
-    That it’s vital to understand what you are measuring and why, and how to make sure data tells a ‘valuable’ story that’s relevant to the business

The webinar is available to view free of charge at