BETHESDA, Md. – The automotive aftermarket took one more “giant step” into the digital universe on Sept. 30 with the presentation of the first-ever Virtual Aftermarket eForum. Produced by AAIA, AASA, AIA Canada and SEMA, the event was hosted as a totally integrated virtual online environment powered by ON24, featuring an exhibit hall, auditorium and networking lounge. Attendees were able to virtually attend seminars, participate in group or private chats, visit exhibit booths and download key materials such as white papers and data sheets. 
Keynote presentations were broadcast throughout the day by Jay Yanko of Edgenet, Jonathan Ressler of Brand Noise Reduction Laboratory Inc., Stephen Smith of GCommerce and Max Buchanan of Datalliance. The presentations were followed by live Q&A with the presenters and later by online scheduled chats.
According to event organizers, attendees rated the inaugural online experience and content "very worthwhile."
"Our managers and their support staff (and even the owners) thought this was a high-quality event in regards to both presentation content and speaker excellence," said eForum attendee Scott O’Toole, Motor-State Distributing. "As you know, breaking away while in the office to attend an all-day event in your own building can be quite the challenge. But everyone who met this internal challenge thought that this event was definitely worth their time to attend."
Scott Luckett, chairman, eForum Planning Committee and AAIA vice president, technology standards, who hosted the event, said overall he was pleased with the results. “It was the first time producing an event unlike anything we had done before. There were some minor technical glitches but we were extremely pleased overall. The most remarkable thing we saw was that over 75 percent of those who had pre-registered for the event showed up and were online for most of the day. The industry average for Webinars is 25 to 30 percent, so we were very pleased with commitment of those who registered for the Aftermarket eForum,” Luckett said.
“The attendees told us they valued most the ability to view multiple videos and presentations and the convenience of accessing extensive information from a single source without the need to travel. Convenience and cost-effectiveness were cited most often as what attendees liked best about the virtual eForum format,” Luckett added.
Gold event sponsors Activant Solutions and Autologue Computer Systems were joined by seven other corporate exhibitors in the industry’s first virtual trade show. As its first time sponsoring such a unique event, Autologue Computer Systems felt the event was a success, according to Autologue Sales/Marketing and Training exec Steve Gill. “This was our first virtual trade show, and Autologue will be glad to participate in other virtual events, as long as they are as professionally done. Technically, the whole format was excellent, and very well presented, monitored and supported by On24.”
In terms of interacting with new and prospective clients, Gill added that the high-tech nature of the event made his job easier in some ways.
“The most enjoyable thing about the event was the fact that the very thing the show was about, was illustrated by the fact it was virtual,” Gill said. “People that attended were automatically qualified as good prospects and knowledgeable professionals. The most beneficial thing for Autologue, was the fact that it was easy to get our ‘literature’ in their hands, and because of who they were, we can be reasonably well assured it will be reviewed. The other obvious advantage was the huge savings with regard to travel and expenses. In our world, it has become commonplace to just accept the costs of attending a trade show, as it’s an absolute necessity to remain in front of your customers. I believe we will realize a huge benefit to cost advantage with a virtual show of this caliber.
“Interacting with visitors seemed to be more pointed, and more pertinent questions were asked and answered. I believe it was because the visitors were in their own comfortable surroundings, and felt more free to ask questions,” Gill noted.
Activant, also a gold-level sponsor of the event, noted the benefit of prospective customers having expanded access to their materials, beyond the day of the live event.
"Scott Luckett and AAIA certainly deserve congratulations for creating the aftermarket’s first virtual conference," said Tom Aliotti, senior vice president of Activant’s automotive business group. "The convenience and accessibility of a virtual conference make it a great addition to traditional formats. From an exhibitor’s perspective, we look forward to aftermarket manufacturers and distributors continuing to access the extensive library of interactive material we have made available."
The Virtual Aftermarket eForum continues for another six months in an on-demand format. Beginning Friday, Oct. 2, the presentations, virtual trade show and all of the rich content from the Resource Center are available to registered attendees on-demand. Those who missed the "live day" can still register and access the conference from www.aftermarketeforum.com.
