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As I wrote in the latest issue of 1to1 Magazine, (Old-Fashioned Meetings Get a Digital Upgrade), online events are growing in popularity for a number of reasons. First, the economy is taking its toll on business spending. Budgets are being cut, but marketing's responsibilities for generating leads, nurturing prospects, and brand-building stay the same. Second, environmental responsibility has become a widespread business concern, and physical trade shows are not particularly environmentally friendly. Third, business users have become more comfortable using social media tools and creating relationships online, as communities like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter grow in popularity.

The value of events to provide education and networking opportunities continues to be important, which leads to the growth in virtual events as part of a larger event strategy.

Maritz's Gaia says he says there are Five C's to consider when considering virtual events:

• Cost


• Carbon


• Content


• Collaboration


• Community

The first two, cost and carbon, are easy for most companies to understand. Virtual events can ease the financial burden of putting on an event, and the environmental impact, from the amount of paper to the gas to get to an from an event, is reduced. The final three -- content, collaboration, and community -- need a strong strategy because they are different from a live event. "Changing the environment requires a different way of thinking about the strategy," he says.

Gaia echoes other virtual event experts I have spoken to who say that virtual events are not about replacing physical events. The most successful events take a blended, hybrid approach, mixing the best of both worlds. In the long run, nothing can replace a face-to-face interaction.

Have you attended or put on a virtual event? What do you think?