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Greg Hackett

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Managing Director, Informa Virtual Business Communications

76 points

My background is firmly in the physical events space. Most recently I was Managing Director of IIR Telecoms which owns many large scale events. Prior to that I was Conference Director at Emap for 5 years in which time revenues ...

My background is firmly in the physical events space. Most recently I was Managing Director of IIR Telecoms which owns many large scale events. Prior to that I was Conference Director at Emap for 5 years in which time revenues grew from £5m to +£20m.

I firmly believe in the Hybrid Event model and I also see great opportunities for Informa in the pureplay Virtual Events market which is where I am now focused.

Informa VBC is the new name for Online Congress, acquired by Informa in 2007. The company has been providing client solutions to customers including Pfizer, Oracle and PwC for 10 years. Solutions include Virtual Events, Live Streaming, Webcasts and Knowledge Portals.

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July 20, 2011

Greg Hackett and 8 other people answered this question

What are your thoughts on Rupert Murdoch's handling of the phone hacking scandal?

Yesterday he looked like Mr Burns being questioned about a nuclear leak. Artificial, insincere, confident. Certainly not humble. more

General Management

June 28, 2011

Greg Hackett and 29 other people answered this question

If you could change 1 thing about LinkedIn, what would it be and why?

The mobile app does not support Groups, and Groups is pretty key to the whole experience. They need to take a look at the Facebook app. Most of my FB friends prefer to use the app. more

June 6, 2011

Greg Hackett and 8 other people answered this question

Why do you unsubscribe from emails?

Emails subs are like friends - you only have time for so many at once. So I believe most people have only have a few which are best friends. We are always open to new friends so new subscriptions have a few months to break ... more

Email Marketing

June 3, 2011

Greg Hackett and 21 other people answered this question

As an interviewer, what is your favorite interview question?

My all time favourite is 'How whould your boss describe you in one word? (get the answer) How would your best friend describe you in one word? (get the answer) and how would you describe yourself in one word?'. If you get the same word ... more

Human Resources

Applicant Screening

June 3, 2011

Greg Hackett and 5 other people answered this question

How much info do you propose giving out without "giving up the farm" so to speak?

I helped Ramiro out with a 'like' there and got him back to zero because I think he makes a good point. However closely I follow a recipe it doesn't taste as good as it does in a restaurant, and I couldn't run a kitchen ... more

Content Marketing

May 31, 2011

Greg Hackett and 25 other people answered this question

How much time do you spend on social media each day?

I find an hour a day is enough. Much more than that and the value of what I contribute thins out. And I make sure I split the hour between responding to questions and generating new ones. more

May 26, 2011

Greg Hackett and 5 other people answered this question

What should never be included in an email marketing campaign?

large attachments

Email Marketing

May 26, 2011

Greg Hackett and 7 other people answered this question

How important is it to put a photo with your social media profiles?

Users of social media should use all means possible to give others as clear a picture of who they are dealing with as possible. I also think avatars/cartoon pics are a bad idea - unless you are just dealing with close friends as some do ... more

May 25, 2011

Greg Hackett and 3 other people answered this question at this roundtable

NFL Lockout: The Standoff Continues [5/24 @ 2 pm]

Will crime increase if there is no football season? According to Ray Lewis, it will.

I disagree. The idea that unemployed NFL people will commit new crimes which exceed the number of crimes currently linked to the sport - including corporate crime and petty crime around game attendance - is highly unlikely. And following a sport can be costly, so ... more

May 19, 2011

Greg Hackett and 3 other people answered this question

What do you consider to be a 'meaningful' interaction with a prospect?

This is subjective. Sales teams are often measured on call volume and duration, and one could argue that duration is a metric of importance but I have known sales people to talk at length on subjects that lead nowhere.
So I would argue that the ... more

May 5, 2011

Greg Hackett and 9 other people answered this question

Virtual event worst practices: What are the mistakes organizations make with virtual events?

Here's the 'honest' mistakes I made on my first one which I think are typical:
- went for the cheapest platform I could find
- chose to attach to a huge event rather than an event whose audience made sense
- had no 'live' content - only content ... more

May 4, 2011

Greg Hackett and 3 other people answered this question

At what point should a company consider participating in a virtual event/trade show?

At the same point as their customers are considering the same. I think anyone asking themselves this question is at a point where they should be surveying their customer base to understand the extent to which they are engaging in virtual environments more

Events and Trade Shows

April 7, 2011

Greg Hackett and 1 other person answered this question

When, why and how should I use social media to promote my virtual event?

When? - always.
Why? - because Virtual Events should themselves be Social Media experiences.
How? - methodically - I think too much social media marketing is despatched in a noise-making way. There should be a clear but flexible timeline of activity. I would personally not put ... more

Event Marketing

Focusmarketingrt

March 18, 2011

Greg Hackett and 21 other people answered this question

3 ways to handle and work for an autocratic, micro-managing and de-humanizing boss?

I'm sorry I think I have read the question differently to most. Obviously leaving is an acceptable course, but if you HAVE to handle and work for this person, which is how I read the question, then people might need strategies. I have done both. ... more

General Management

March 17, 2011

Greg Hackett is now following Dave Lutz and 1 other person

March 17, 2011

Greg Hackett and 2 other people answered this question

What is important to know about trends with virtual events?

1. The best-received events are the ones with live content
2. Hybrid events are becoming a standard requirement for some markets
3. Content is more important than 3d/Immersive/Heavily graphic platforms
4. Social media is absolutely an integral part of the mix more

Event Marketing

Focusmarketingrt

March 17, 2011

Greg Hackett and 1 other person answered this question

What are some tips for ensuring that your virtual event content is relevant to your audience?

Do what good conference companies do - define your target market, get a good commercial researcher to ring up 30+ of the target market, ask them what the challenges are to their business with respect to your chosen content, drill down to the detail of ... more

Event Marketing

March 15, 2011

Greg Hackett and 3 other people answered this question

What are the benefits of attending a live virtual event or webinar as opposed to a recorded event?

Asking people why they like to attend events I once got the answer that they are looking for those information morsels that are high value - the things you wouldn't expect to hear, the confessions, the slip-ups, call them what you will. Watching pre-recorded presentations ... more

Event Marketing

Jan. 24, 2011

Greg Hackett is now following

Jan. 24, 2011

Greg Hackett is now following

Jan. 24, 2011

Greg Hackett is now following

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