Corporate Personality

There has been some discussion around the term ‘corporate personality’ that we use regularly at 2xhib. As originally formulated (we learned from Wikipedia), it dealt with areas of the Old Testament where the relationships between individuals and the groups that they were part of were treated.

At 2xhib we added another interpretation, which I guess is similar to the original, but more contemporary: that of showing the real people behind a company presented through videos, blogs, and tweets - and how they represent the company. Showing the flesh and blood of sales folks, engineers, and leadership of a company. The products, services, and customers, and the relationships with their partners they pitch – online.

In our definition, the corporate personality is part of the corporate identity: the branding, logo, trademarks, etc. of a company. It is how individuals (real people) of a company communicate their message to the world through new media, and are accountable for that.

Virtual Events: YES, but Why 3-D?

In economic challenging times it becomes very clear that virtual trade shows are a great way to reach out to your customer base and prospects. The successes of virtual event vendors are proof of that.

However there is one thing I cannot understand. Why do most of these virtual event technologies simulate the real venue in 3D? Sometimes they even add background noise to simulate the real event. Why is it that they force you into a sort of gaming environment, which adds a lot of overhead to the technology and makes it inefficient and proprietary?

Google didn't create a virtual library when they designed their interface. Amazon didn't create a virtual shop with isles and coffee corners when they designed their online bookstore, nor did Facebook create a virtual student lounge when they designed their interface. It also reminds me of the first airplane designs where the engineers copied the flapping of the wings of real birds. 3D is great for gaming and helpful in certain situations, like when a mechanic needs to fix complex equipment, but not really relevant in a virtual trade show.

The virtual event should focus on supporting lead generation, making informed buying decisions, and attracting more visitors to the event. This should be supported by the tools we all are familiar with, like drop down menus and search boxes, uploading and downloading of documents and videos, and posting blogs and tweets, etc. like we do on Google, Facebook, and Amazon.