Majority of associations now making at least portions of live events available to virtual attendees

By Association Adviser staff

The latest Association Adviser enews reader poll revealed robust adoption of virtual attendance options for North American Associations. In perhaps the latest example of innovation in a tight economy, nearly two in five (38 percent) respondents said they now offer all of their program content, networking and keynote presentations to members who cannot attend their live events in person.

An additional 20 percent of respondents told us they’re offering selected learning sessions of their live events to virtual attendees. What’s more, nearly one in four respondents (23 percent) told us they plan to offer a virtual attendance option within 12 months.

Nearly 100 Association Adviser enews readers had responded to the poll as of press time.

To what extents are you making your live events available to virtual attendees?

The latest reader survey results are very consistent with our 2011 Association Communication Benchmarking Report in which 57 percent of the 700 responding associations told us they’re either offering virtual attendance to their live events now, or plan to do so within 12 months.

Although the American Society of Association Executive (ASAE) did not offer a virtual attendance option at its recent annual conference and expo in St. Louis as it did in 2010, both CEO John Graham and CIO Reggie Henry told us they’re still tinkering with the “right business model,” and expect to offer some form of virtual attendance in the near future, most likely with a mobile twist.