San Diego, CA: March 4, 2011: It wasn’t their choice. In fact, they would be standing in front of a crowd right this very moment speaking, sharing, training, and entertaining, if they could. But they can’t because too few people today are able to commit to buying a seat at their live seminars, nor are they willing, or able, to spend the money to travel to these events.
These days many would-be seminar participants are simply choosing to stay at home instead.
With fewer live venues for speakers, many have begun to turn to alternative ways of getting their message out to the world. Thanks to the fast-evolving technology and the Internet, some professional speakers are finding that staying at home can be very profitable.
Robert Imbriale is one such speaker who began seeing what the future of his profession would look like in just a few short years. In 2004, he began hosting live streaming video seminars for his clients. When he saw how well they responded to the live video presentations, he started to offer more and more of them, at times having hundreds of viewers around the world.
“For years,” says Imbriale, “teleseminars were great but limited in their appeal to both the speaker and participant. When streaming video became possible, it opened up many new possibilities for speakers and their audiences. Now that the economy has slowed and affected so many in the speaking industry, streaming video is fast becoming the one tool that can save our industry.”
But most professional speakers have yet to embrace this new technology even though it could very well be the best solution to rapidly declining attendance at live events. “It’s the technology part of this that scares speakers, many of whom are not technically oriented,” says Imbriale.
But will streaming video really be the answer to declining attendance at live events? All indications so far show that it may well be. Seminar participants can view a live presentation from the comfort of their own home or office, skipping the hassle and high cost of travel. Attendees can still participate, ask questions, interact with fellow attendees, and feel like they really are part of the event.
Participants can often season the flavor of a virtual event because they have the ability to ask questions, make comments, share links and other resources, and even take the virtual stage for a few moments.
In the coming years, look for more and more training to be done over the Internet, which could spell the end of cold hotel conference rooms, airport security, and uncomfortable beds for many professional speakers.
For seminar participants, in-home access to their favorite mentors could be the answer they’ve been waiting for. Prices for such in-home events are generally lower, and with no travel expenses, participants can easily attend more events each year and still get access to the knowledge they seek.
Robert Imbriale is a professional speaker with a passion for technology. He has been hosting live streaming Internet video seminars since 2004 and reaches audiences worldwide. He consults with many professional speakers, and business owners on using live streaming video events instead of traditional in-person seminars, training programs, and conferences. You can find out more about Robert at www.RobertImbriale.com