Page 22 - GS201101

CoverStory

Personalized networking traditional events tend to focus on content and speakers,
digital events focus more on the audience. She noted that
Jodie Kelley, CEO of the Electronic Transactions Associa- a special algorithm is what matches and pre-approves
tion, agreed the industry is entering a new phase as virtual people and creates a personalized list of connections for
events compete for attention, time and resources. Among each participant .
such events is the ETA's post-election Payments & Politics
set for Nov. 17, 2020. It will feature keynote speaker Amy Dave Hunkele, chief strategy officer at Finzly, agreed that
Walter, national editor of the Cook Political Report, and per- digital events can deliver a compelling ROI, especially
sonalized breakout sessions. Registration is open at www. when attendees use technology efficiently to optimize the
electran.org/eta-events-awards/2020-politics-payments. virtual networking experience. He advised participants
to start on time, end on time or early, unmute themselves
"Payments experts will address election results and what before speaking, and use the hand-raising feature during
it means for fintechs and payments industry stakehold- live chat sessions.
ers," Kelley said. "And we'll discuss further in small group
breakouts moderated by former members of Congress and "Look for tools that allow networking to happen with ease
lobbyists." in breakout rooms, or for larger audiences, there are other
tools to enable networking with table topics," Hunkele
Anna Degtereva, CEO and founder of the LinkUpConfer- said. "Click on your interested topic, and engage only with
enceShow (LUCS), also believes in the power of person- those individuals who share the same interest."
alized networking. Degtereva has worked with clients in
public and private sectors, including the Ukrainian prime Hunkele emphasized security, noting the following:
minister. She recently moved to the United States to devel-
op a new kind of event that disrupts traditional conference • Home Wi-Fi routers or listening devices with default
venues, which she calls boring. passwords can be hacked.
• Become familiar with webinar tools and settings and
"LUCS dedicates 70 percent to personalized networking and attendees before they join for additional security.
30 percent to industry leaders, celebrities and comedians," • Decide if you want attendees to start the meeting if
Degtereva said. "We use a unique algorithm to group each you're late and control who can chat, share or upload
attendee with others who match their business interests. documents.
Once matched, our hilarious moderators keep participants
engaged, conversations flowing and interactions fun." • Share applications but not screens.

Formula for success • Don't chat while sharing your screen, and turn off
other third-party app notifications.
Degtereva pairs 20 participants per group with a LUCS
moderator to facilitate meaningful connections. Partici- Hunkele offered further recommendations for event host-
pants can add contact and record their favorite presen- ing:
tations using the LUCS conference app, as well as share • Turn off your camera if you're doing anything other
them on the LUCS website and LinkedIn event page. In than participating in the meeting.
these ways, participants can share the most memorable as-
pects of the event, she stated. • Don't eat with the camera or microphone on.
• Plan to be "all in" when participating in virtual events
If you have passionate, professional, dedicated people on • Don't join calls unless you are ready to fully focus on
your team, it doesn't matter if you work in an office or at the meeting objective
home, Degtereva said, adding that LUCS has a lean all-
woman team. "Anna, Kate, Anastasia, Yanna, and Lorie • Plan to be seen and to be heard. Being off-camera
are in New York," she said. "Stephanie is in Montevideo, should be the exception in meetings, not the norm,
Uruguay. Lisa is in London. Helga is in Steyr, Austria and but don't drive with the camera on; doing so is dan-
Natalie and Marina are in Kyiv, Ukraine." gerous for the driver and distracting for the attend-
ees.
The team uses Google Drive, live chat and weekly team
calls to set goals and deadlines across time zones and re- Finally, to ensure that registrants show up and have a
gions. "Of course, I miss people so much," Degtereva said. worthwhile experience, Hunkele recommended that
"I miss hugs, handshakes and laughing over a shared organizers "activate available meeting reminders to keep
lunch. I miss the energy of having people around me. I the invitation on top of everyone's inboxes, and use tools
have forgotten what a group of people looks or feels like, that work in your environment."
and that's crazy."
Virtual best practice Dale S. Laszig, senior staff writer at The Green Sheet and managing
director at DSL Direct LLC, is a payments industry journalist and content
Degtereva pointed out that digital conferences improve development specialist. She can be reached at dale@dsldirectllc.com
on some aspects of traditional, on-site events. While and on Twitter at @DSLdirect.

22