Recently, I attended HSM’s World Innovation Forum 2009 (WIF09) as a virtual attendee and followed a minimum of 20 leading innovation bloggers share real time thoughts, insights and opinions from the event through their blogs and Twitter accounts. Pitney Bowes sponsored the Word Innovation Forum Bloggers Hub for pre-registered bloggers and Tweeps and the WIF09’s Twitter Kiosks. Those tweeting from the conference used the hashtag #wif09 and third party applications like TweetDeck, TweetGrid and TweetChat to follow the live stream.

WIF09 Bloggers Hub

During breaks and after the conference, I asked several of these bloggers a lot of questions about the logistics and physical set-up of the Blogger’s Hub. I was very impressed with the quality of content and the insight of the planners for WIF09. Blogger Boris Pluskowski described the Blogger Hub like this,

“Imagine the scene then – as you walk into a classic theatre type setting – only with two balconies either side marked explicitly for pre-registered bloggers and twitterers…looking not a million miles away from a press box at a sports game.”

1. Identify your goals of a Blogger’s Hub.
   Is your goal to have bloggers and Tweeps interacting with virtual attendees? Is it to provide journalists with a place to take notes and create new blog posts? Is it to get your conference topic or hashtag in Twitter Trends? Is it to provide leading bloggers and Tweeps the ability to share their insights, thoughts and opinions in real time?
2. Decide how you will measure success of your Blogger Hub.
   Will it be on the number of blog posts about your conference? Will it be the number of times your conference hashtag is mentioned in Twitter?
3. Designate a separate sitting place in main general session room for bloggers and Tweeps that is close to the stage yet is not an obstruction for other attendees.

   The World Innovation Forum 2009 provided a second level in the main theatre for their Blogger’s Hub. It was visible to all yet provided some nice amenities for those tweeting and blogging about their conference.

4. Provide plenty of electrical outlets for the bloggers’ laptops.
   With the rise of laptops in conventions and events, wall outlets are not usually enough. If you have ten bloggers, they will each need their own electrical connection.
5. In addition to electrical outlets, offer small cocktail tables, seats and light.
   Often meeting planners dim the lights during general sessions and your bloggers and Tweeps need the extra light to see their keyboards.
6. Ensure that your Blogger’s Hub has ample wifi access.
   You may need to purchase additional wifi access so that your bloggers can access the internet easily. You’ll want to provide as much dedicated wireless signals as possible to ensure adequate bandwidth. Attendees to the Interactive Section of SxSW 2009 complained about a lack of outlets and wifi and ATT was called in to provide additional access.
7. Set-up a Twitter Kiosk in the pre-convene and tradeshow areas.
   Using LCD projectors, laptops connected to the Internet and  twitter, and large screens, project the Twitter stream showing your hashtag for all to see. You can also have staff stationed at the kiosk to teach others how to use Twitter.
8. Provide a remote participation guide.
   Here is an example that WIF09 blogger Stuart Miniman put together for virtual attendees like me.

I was amazed at the content coming from the conference and the willingness of these bloggers to engage in conversation with me during the presentations. I could ask questions, ask for clarification and engage in differences of opinion. My experience at WIF09 was very different from those who were on sight and enriched in a very unique way.

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