New Zealand company introduces virtual events venues

New Zealand company Virtual Expos NZ (VENZ) is launching a virtual events platform on 20th Friday. To demonstrate the functionality of their software, the launch will be held online from 9am (New Zealand time) with invitees attending using their own computers (or any computer with broadband internet access).

‘Especially during in these challenging times, going virtual is an innovative and cost effective answer for our exporters. Going virtual gives you instant global presence – no more tyranny of distance. Going virtual puts you in the same space of the decision-makers of your major trading partners without leaving your office. Going virtual enables traders to maintain and develop new relationships in a productive way that also reduces their carbon footprint,’ says VENZ Chair John Lumsden, immediate past president of the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce and former CEO of MetService.

The advantages of the technology to participants include high quality interactivity with exhibitors, speakers and other attendees through instant video chat, and being liberated from geographic and time constraints.

Virtual events are also a marketer's dream because every facet can be documented and analysed at length to extract valuable business intelligence and help qualify and prioritise leads.

‘The sophistication of the software means going virtual is finally a genuine alternative and we believe virtual events are poised to take off in this country. Our platform enables new and more productive ways of doing business through the creation of realistic online environments – trade shows, job fairs, conferences, shopping malls, seminar series, training and instant video conferencing – where real business happens, with real people connecting in real time, achieving real results,’ says VENZ Chief Executive Frances Manwaring.

VENZ was established by four Wellington business people in December 2008 in recognition of the need for some new thinking about how New Zealand’s people and organisations connect with each other and the rest of the world to attract trading partners, investors, job seekers, learners and visitors.

Recognising the potential of virtual events technology for the New Zealand context, VENZ joined forces with pioneering American firm, Expos 2, whose founder and president Steve Strickland has become a shareholder and joined the VENZ board.

In addition to selling licences for Expos 2’s software, VENZ will be developing and managing a range of its own events. The flagship, national trade fair ExpoNZ, will be a world first when it launches later this year. The company’s vision is to create a vehicle to showcase the very best New Zealand has to offer in order to build on and further develop the positioning already achieved in overseas markets for ‘New Zealand Inc.’ and individual businesses.

A virtual demo is available now at www.virtualdemo.co.nz.