6Connex to Support First Ever National Small Business Week Virtual Conference

Pleasanton, CA / April 30, 2018 – As National Small Business Week kicks-off, 6Connex is pleased to announce support for the first-ever National Small Business Week virtual conference.  Hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration and SCORE, the virtual conference will offer small business owners the best parts of an in-person conference without the hassles of travel, at no cost to attend.

The 3-day virtual event will include live educational webinars, mentoring sessions, business resources and networking opportunities.  Attendees can participate in all the webinars, or choose the topics that are of most interest.  Sessions include:

• How Changing Consumer Behavior Impacts Your Business – May 1 at 1:00 PM ET/ 10:00 AM PT
• Addressing Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace – May 1 at 2:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM PT
• Get New and Repeat Business On Autopilot with Email Marketing – May 1 at 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT
• Creating and Sustaining a Strong Social Presence – May 1 at 5:30 PM ET / 2:30 PM PT
• The U.S. Economic Outlook and Its Impact on Small Businesses – May 2 at 1:00 PM ET/ 10:00 AM PT
• Managing Your Finances in the Cloud – May 2 at 2:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM PT
• Grow Your Business in 2018 – May 2 at 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT
• Simple Steps to Choosing the Right Financing – May 2 at 5:30 PM ET / 2:30 PM PT
• Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints & Keep Your Customers – May 3 at 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT
• Sharing Your Story Through Video – May 3 at 2:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM PT
• Pop & Play: How Opening a Pop-Up Shop Can Help Launch Your Retail Brand – May 3 at 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT
• Fusion Marketing: The Next Generation of Marketing – May 3 at 5:30 PM ET / 2:30 PM PT.

“As a growing business ourselves, we’re pleased to be the platform of choice for this first-ever event,” said Mike Nelson, 6Connex CEO.  “We look forward to seeing thousands of small business owners join the virtual conference to connect and learn.”

Attendance is free, and the conference is accessible on any computer or mobile device, offering small business owners the flexibility to attend from anywhere during the 3-day virtual conference.  Register for free at: https://score.6connex.com/event/vc/nsbw/login

About 6Connex, Inc.
6Connex is a global software and services provider for enterprise online events.  Our cloud-based product portfolio includes virtual environments, learning management and webinars  Designed for marketing, sales, recruitment training and HR communications, we transform big ideas into real-world results.

6Connex has helped many leading brands increase the effectiveness of their online programs by driving revenue growth, saving money and increased employee productivity.  Our customers include Salesforce, BlackRock, GE, CDC, Ericsson, CA Technologies and Intuit.

For more information, visit www.6connex.com.

Monetizing Your Audience—One Billion Dollars (from Attendees?)

In part 1 and part 2 of this series, we highlighted ten ways event hosts can drive revenue opportunities from sponsorship of virtual events and discussed how the virtual format provides more opportunity for sponsorship revenue than physical events. Now, we turn our attention to ways to drive revenue from your audience.

Pleasanton, CA / April 17, 2018 – As the only vendor dedicated to innovation in online events, 6Connex today announced new functionality that enables a 508-compliant version of any virtual event or virtual environment.  With one-click in the platform control panel, online event producers can provide their attendees with an accessibility page that includes relevant event content and materials.

The new platform functionality presents a straightforward menu with links and titles that are recognized by assistive technologies like screen readers, which allow blind and visually impaired users to read the on-screen content.  Almost all content within a virtual event can be included on the accessibility page, such as keynote webcast sessions, sponsor or partner booths and associated documents and resources.

For virtual events where accessibility is a primary goal, event producers will be guided by the 6Connex customer success team to determine how to best design an online event experience that meets the needs of all attendees.

“This level of flexibility, built into the platform, is a first for virtual events and environment providers,” said Michael Nelson, 6Connex CEO.  “We think this is an important investment in the software, and we are pleased to support our clients in producing 508-compliant events.”

About 6Connex, Inc.

6Connex is a global software and services provider for enterprise online events. Our cloud-based product portfolio includes virtual environments, learning management and webinars. Designed for marketing, sales, recruitment, training and HR communications, we transform big ideas into real-world results. Lead by the most innovative and experienced leaders in online events, the 6Connex platform was built to be the most configurable, secure and reliable product on the market. Our seasoned project managers, who have experience working with companies across all industries, provide hands-on support and strategic guidance. 6Connex has helped many leading brands increase the effectiveness of their online programs by driving revenue growth, saving money and increased employee productivity. Our customers include Salesforce, Blackrock, GE, CDC, Ericsson, CA Technologies and Intuit. For more information, visit www.6connex.com.

Monetizing Events, Part 2: Sponsorship Revenues

In Part 1 of this series, we highlighted five ways an event host can drive revenue opportunities through the sponsorship of virtual events and how more sponsorship opportunities are possible in virtual events than with physical events. Today, we’re offering six additional ideas for generating sponsorship revenue:

Today I’m excited to share some details about one of our newest launches, the Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe virtual campus. I believe it’s truly a groundbreaking program, taking an off-line program and providing broad access to it online, while also driving sales, awareness and community connection.

Childhelp, the nation’s oldest and largest non-governmental nonprofit advocating for abused and neglected children, offers a comprehensive child abuse and bullying prevention education program, Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe®. The program includes curriculum for grades one through six, taught by trained facilitators.

Previously, much of the actual curriculum was delivered via a thumb drive, and the training was scheduled based on availability. Using the 6Connex platform, Childhelp’s brand new virtual campus enables immediate access to the curriculum, along with anytime access to the facilitator training. In addition, Childhelp will be offering guest speakers, continuing education opportunities, community outreach, the Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe for Athletes program for youth sports and more.

The program was brought to life by a talented and passionate team, who had a clear vision from the start. We applaud their efforts, and the mission of Childhelp. We’re also quite excited about the use case – what a great way for a 55 year old nonprofit to leverage technology to further its mission.

I’d like to share some of the highlights, the things that we think are truly unique uses of our Virtual Environment platform.

• We talk a lot about how “looks matter” and in this case it’s as true as ever.  Bringing Childhelp’s “little red schoolhouse” to life and creating a campus look and feel that reflects the nonprofit’s feeling of hope is a significant achievement. The unique design provides just the right backdrop to welcome new individuals, schools and other organizations to learn more about the Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe program. Childhelp Co-Founder and President Yvonne Fedderson said, “We are amazed that you were able to capture the look of our villages with this new technology. It honors a dream that took us so many years to build and gives everyone access to the Childhelp mission.”
• Of course the content of any program is the real key, and the Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe curriculum takes center stage. The virtual campus’ architecture showcases the value of the curriculum at each grade level, providing a public view into the content. For a deeper look at the curriculum, powerful platform entitlement allows Childhelp to grant access for a full review, and once a decision has been made to purchase the curriculum, grant full access to the program. Childhelp refers to this process as “leveling up” and it’s a key strategy that is aimed at bringing the program to more children across the nation.
• Perhaps the most important element of the virtual campus is an entirely new way to train and engage with facilitators. By leveraging a virtual environment, Childhelp can make the training available to facilitators when and where they need it, and the curriculum itself is available for immediate download. Platform interactivity features enable facilitators from across the country to connect with each other, forging a stronger community fighting child abuse and bullying. Additionally, guest speakers can engage with the community, and Childhelp can offer other continuing education opportunities. Childhelp Co-Founder and CEO Sara O’Meara said, “We really honor your team’s investment in this remarkable platform. Our hope has always been to bring prevention education to every state in the nation so that all of our children can learn to speak up and be safe. Your help will make that dream a reality!”

All in all, it’s a comprehensive and engaging program, one that we hope will serve as a model for other non-profits. You can check it out at www.speakupbesafe.org – and please share to help drive awareness for this very worthy cause.

Your executives are obviously busy people, responsible for the day-to-day and long-term success of your organization.  They are also the most important voices for your employees to hear, as often as possible, which is tough to accomplish when juggling schedules and time zones and priorities.

In many cases, it’s an acquisition or other major corporate change that prompts a town hall or CEO address.  Or maybe your company has made a conscious decision to strive for more regular communications from a variety of senior execs.  In either scenario, you then have logistical challenges like conference call quality and costs, global access, and employee engagement.  A virtual event can be one way to solve these challenges and bring your executive team closer to your employees.

What Is Virtual Town Hall?

A virtual Town Hall address where all employees are invited to listen, or a regularly scheduled “Fireside Chat” where regional or division employees can both receive company updates and participate in Q&A with execs.  Follow the sun for major announcements with a live address for each region, or pre-record for anytime, anywhere access.  Actively engage employees in the conversation and solicit feedback and suggestions via surveys and open chat.  Leverage enterprise entitlement to ensure the right employees hear exactly the right message.

Why Do You Need to do a Virtual Town Hall?

You want your employees focused on their jobs, not wondering about the state of the company or the latest Internet rumors.  They need to feel connected, and they want to know their executive team cares enough to take the time to keep them informed.  Thinking strategically about a Virtual Executive Communications program, with virtual events that are tested, in place and ready to go when you need it, can make all the difference in letting your executive voices be heard.

When Bill Gates wrote, “Content Is King,” I’d bet he never thought the phrase would be repeated as often as it is.