random thoughts of a paraplanner

Phil Calvert at IFALife has organised a very interesting conference which takes place this week on social media and financial services.  I am not able to attend although I have been following it live on Twitter (click this link to follow all the comments). 

I have made a simple (and rough) list of the best bits which you can read here.

I am a believer in the power of the internet and social media and the content of the conference is proving to be of a high standard.  Sitting here in snow bound Oxfordshire meant that I had to observe things from a distance.  As it happened, with the social media tools available (especially Twitter) I felt part of the event and was able to interact with those who were physically there.

However, it also got me thinking about how this type of event could be made even better and also potentially more profitable for the promoters.  In an ideal world I would like to have:

• A live video feed of the event and presentations (this relies heavily on technology and bandwidth and could be too big a burden for the organisers)
• Instead of the above, how about having a live feed of the presentations (i.e the slides) as they are given. This does not have to be via video, one of the many screen sharing or video conferencing tools could be used or the presentations could be released throughout the day on Slideshare. 
• Videos of the presentations after the event ideally available online (hopefully Phil's Flip HD has been working overtime).

All the above would take varying degrees of time and money but the important points for me are:

1. It would enhance the experience for me massively
2. I would be prepared to pay for this - something in the region of £50 to £100 would be acceptable for me.

This would mean that the focus is not just directed towards 'bums on seats' but well beyond that.  I could still be working in my office and dipping in and out of the event. Weather and travel problems could be overcome!  Lots of posts on Twitter were from people outside the UK and so the audience could be global and not just UK based (the content is relevant to all financial services markets).

So, overall a brilliant event and I have not even been at it.  Lots of ideas for me to act on and day 2 is yet to come.  Well done Phil - hopefully there will be more of these and you may be able to include some of my suggestions to make it even better for us and you.