Agents and educators love to network in glamorous locations, but attending all of the industry workshops run around the world each year is a tall order.
Offering an alternative is Norwegian company Virtual Solutions, which is about to run what it calls the first ever “virtual” agent workshop. Run through a specially developed software programme, the event will enable agents to meet face to face over the internet from the comfort of their own offices, saving time and money.
The workshop, which runs from February 23rd–25th, will be held in a “virtual” venue. There educators have their own stands where they can meet agents (through video or text messaging applications) and share marketing materials.
Participants also use a meeting planner to sort through agencies and educators to book in 30-minute meetings, which are again conducted via video-messaging.
Stephen Roberts, Virtual Solutions’ UK Marketing Manager, said: “Traditional workshops are hectic places to do business in, but in the virtual environment clients have time to target potential matches and meet as few or as many people as they want, ensuring that they are making ‘high quality’ meetings.
“We tested the marketplace and received a very positive response from both institutions and agents. We are able to segment the marketplace to match specialism and offer scheduled meetings across time zones in virtual exhibition spaces. You do not need to be a technical wizard to use the system.”
Virtual Solutions was set up in 2011 with funding by the Norwegian Government, to provide an alternative to traditional educational fairs and workshops. The team behind the initiative have many years experience working in teaching and international student recruitment in higher education institutions in Norway and the UK.
The first virtual agent workshop will have a limited number of participants to allow the technical team to deal with any unforeseen problems, after which it will be expanded. Registration for the workshop is now open.
For a video guide to the workshop click here
