Recently I asked some of my online friends whether they preferred to attend live events for business and marketing training, or if webinars they could watch from home were sufficient. It turns out that many people strongly prefer one over the other, and others are more flexible when it comes to online business training.
The main reason I asked the question was that I have been attending the NAMS Total Business System live event in Atlanta this weekend, where I am a marketing trainer and faculty member. Twice a year I speak and present at this conference, and then throughout the year I’m a part of the online training that is part of the membership site associated with this excellent business training program. Some people attend the live events twice a year, while others regularly show up for the weekly webinar trainings.
One person I asked, Pamela Wynn, brought up an excellent point when she said that she loves the live stream when she is unable to attend in person. NAMS does not currently offer a live stream, but perhaps that could be discussed for the next live NAMS in August. Live stream, if you are not familiar with this, is a way for you to watch the live event from the comfort of home via webinar, based on having video cameras set up at the event location so that it can be ‘streamed’ in real time to locations all over the world.
Traveling to a live business training event can be difficult for some people due to a variety of scheduling conflicts. William Chaney said, “I would enjoy the live events but not because I learn more, but because I get to inner act with the instructors and my fellow “classmates”. However, travel has not worked for me over the past year. For the money I spend on hotels and air travel, I can purchase much needed products to help me on my quest.”
Tara Kachaturoff said that because of her other commitments, it’s best for her to attend webinars. She can only attend local events live.
Melissa Ingold says “I love being able to learn from home because traveling to all kinds of events just isn’t doable when you have kids. The reason I decided to go into business for myself was so that I could take care of my kids and be with them, not so I could travel more than I’m home – which I’ve seen so many business owners fall into and it kind of defeats the purpose of being a freedom based entrepreneur. However, I think going to some events is a great for networking and learning. I’ve never been to an event yet, but I plan to attend my first offline event this August.”
Others like to learn from both webinars and live events. Robin O’Neal Smith said, “I like both! Live events are great for networking and asking questions. I also enjoy and learn a great deal from webinars.” Adrienne Dupree agrees, stating that “I love live events so I can meet the people I hear online. I also am a webinar junkie. I could attend a webinar every day if I had enough time. There is so much information out there.”
Some of my friends feel very strongly about the importance of attending live events. One of them, Brad Spencer, says “I prefer live events by far…webinars are too linear the way most do them. Live events= party atmosphere (educational party) Webinars= (most times) boring like high school (full disclosure: I know you’re a pro teacher, Connie, and you rock!”
Colin Theriot explains, “You MUST attend live. The networking is the whole point. The WORST is when you go to a live event and a bunch of the people there just go up to their rooms and go to sleep instead of mining the gold that is in the hall and at the hotel bar and out to lunch, etc.”
Debbie O’Grady shared that “I love attending live events to meet face-to-face with the people I’ve “met” online. It gives me the chance to interact and know people better.
As Jeremy Ginn put it, “There is something powerful about shaking hands, eye to eye, smile to smile that you just miss on a webinar!”
How do you feel about this issue? I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether you prefer attending live events or webinars to grow your online business.
I love live events! Of course I should; it is my business. It is easier to learn because you have fewer distractions. And the networking is worth the price of admission in most cases.
That said, one of the reasons that I wasn’t at NAMS even though I had my ticket ready to go, was because I was attending a live, virtual boot camp with my own coach. I did get a lot accomplished and networked with attendees through Facebook. And I didn’t have to miss any of my son’s soccer games this weekend.
Yet I missed NAMS and the people I have met before and the rich education and relationships that I have built. I recommend live events above all, but if all else fails, virtual is better than no events at all…
Daphne,
You were certainly missed this time at NAMS. I have the same issue with needing to be in two places at once. It sounds like you made the wisest decision and we’ll see you at NAMS 10 in August.
Connie
Hi Connie,
I much prefer live events over webinars. With webinars I easily find an excuse to do something else. With live events I am there, committed, in the flesh, and happy to add that dimension to the info I get and give.
I already know the dates of the August NAMS aren’t going to work for me. Maybe I’ll see you next Feb. at NAMS or at some other meetup? I hope so! 🙂
Peggy
Peggy,
Perhaps you and I will connect at another event this year. I attend an event every month, and usually tell my community about it well in advance so that they may attend if they can.
Connie
Hi Connie,
I have to say that I feel like live training is best. I only recently started working on building my MyNams presence and it was only then that I understood what a huge and powerful place it is.
When everyone was at the conference last weekend I got many emails about what people were learning and what was going on. It made me wish I was there.
So much of business is about building relationships and finding people that you can share, learn, and grow with. This can be hard to accomplish when you have a ‘real world’ business, but it can seem almost impossible to accomplish when you are in an online business.
You might get the learning from webinars, but when it comes to building relationships, brainstorming, and getting in front of people that can help you take your business to the next level, there is nothing like a live event.
In my opinion, it isn’t just about you finding the mentors that will grow your business, it is also about you getting in front of these mentors, getting their advice, and getting them to know who you are as well.
Great Post Connie:)
Rachel,
Thanks so much for your comment. I agree completely that we must meet in person to truly build relationships and to connect with mentors. Hopefully, you and I will meet at an event sometime this year. I attend many, so look for my emails and social media posts as to where I will be.
Connie
Elizabeth,
Thank you so much for your comment. For me, one of the highlights of a live event is meeting people I otherwise may not have had the opportunity to meet. When I met you it was the highlight of my day! Thanks so much for reaching out to me before the event, and then following up while we were at NAMS.
Connie
Since I’m still flying high from the NAMS9 experience, I am convinced of the value of a live experience when it’s done right. As Jeremy mentioned, there’s nothing like the face-to-face contact where you can take the measure of a person’s sincerity and they can take yours. NAMS was particularly amazing because you and the other faculty made themselves so available, so it was an unusually rare opportunity to “get a piece” of people who would normally be unavailable or at least a lot more expensive!
Having said that, though, I have certainly attended other live events that were not so well organized and didn’t afford me the fantastic experience of NAMS (which, honestly, was more like a family reunion in some ways).
But the webinars are invaluable, for all the reason everyone has mentioned in their comments. I could never have traveled when my children were younger, and even now, I honestly don’t like to travel alone much. Webinars have opened up a whole world of learnin, from which I’ve been able to start small biz visibility consulting in my local area.
This whole discussion, I think, underscores something that you teach a lot, Connie, and that’s the importance of using video and audio to give your followers a sense of knowing you. It’s not quite the same as a live event, but it sure goes a long way towards building that “Know, Like, and Trust” factor that we all know about.
The NAMS event was awesome and I made connections live that I wouldn’t have done over the internet. That saying- I prefer to go to events where I can drive rather than fly. ( or a shorter flight) It was along two days of flying, airports etc. My wish is that NAMS would do one event in the east coast and one in the west coast each year.
Kaya,
It was wonderful to meet you in person at NAMS and to have you as a part of my ‘Day Before’ group. I agree that we make greater connections with people when we meet them face to face and have time to get to know them better.
Connie
Both platforms have their place. If I had to choose I would prefer live events over webinars because of the peer to peer connections, the spontanitous discussion, and the over all powerful dynamic of engaging a community of people who all belong to the same tribe. The online business, especially can be a lonely process. To get out and rub elbows with other like minded people does a lot for ones motivation, and encouragement.
Thanks for your comment, Byron. This can be a lonely business, but social media and Skype bring it to life for me each day. It’s easy to have a social ‘coffee break’ and then get right back to work.
Connie