Are conferences more helpful than webinars?

Hello, my name is Raef Israel and I have been workign with contractors to get them on GSA shedule since 2007. In that time I have attended both conferences and webinars, and have found that although webinar is more convenient, conferences allow the interaction necessary to truly get your questions answred. I feel that you have to be there in front of contracting officers and other contractors with the same or similar issues to get them resolved. Plus, most of the times you will learn about issues that you did not yet know you had and you can prepare a resolution for these problems before they occur. The last thing you want is to be in your contract audit and find out you have been in violation for something that you had no idea about.

In my experience, I have found that conferences are much more helpful than webinars. Conferences allow you to meet people other than the speaker, and forge connections that can be helpful in a way totally unrelated to a conference, while webinars, although cheaper and easier to attend, take away that personal touch.

I

I agree with many folks here. I personally find the conferences more productive and effective vs a webinar.  I too am preparing my first schedule and response to a proposal and am feeling like I'm wading in shark infested waters. 

The webinars are laid out to be empirical and to communicate information, but so much can be lost in translation so to speak. I typically find many of the webinars to be put on by someone who was probably made to do it and they are monotone and flat and don't always effectively communicate the information well. (No offense) In a conference, I can hear someone talk, and then approach them and ask questions. Many times, I pick up more there than 2 hours in a webinar.There is also the Face to Face networking you get also. 

Good post!

Lisa

Webinars are an extremely useful, practical, and an inexpensive tool for communicating/broadcasting almost any type of message. I, among many others at GSA, employ webinars very frequently for training and guiding industry partners on government program and contracting issues. It's easy to structure Q&A sessions in a single webinar session among interested parties located in different/distant offices, buildings, cities, or countries. Webinars are an efficient means to relay information using Slide Presentations, Spreadsheets, Photos, Videos, and other audiovisual material quickly without increasing industry and government travel and material costs; more important, the costs of lost productive time traveling from one point to another is completely avoided. Webinars, however, are not the panacea for all types of meetings, as they do have their significant limitations. So, first decide on the purpose of the conference. For example, is the meeting to discuss operational issues over an hour or two; or to train others on a topic that can be understood between presenter and listener with limited interaction over an hour or two; or is the meeting to broadcast information that can be absorbed and accepted by the recipient quickly without much concern to all? If so, then a webinar might be the ideal medium to use. On the other hand, if the intent of the meeting is to establish strong, professional relationships now; or to train, counsel, or advise on a complex or sensitive matter; or any type of meeting where a lot of group and one-on-one interaction is required, then there is no substitute for looking into another person’s eyes. In those instances, it's probably best to arrange for a face-to-face conference - that is, of course, if you have the budget and time for traveling.

Webinars are an extremely useful, practical, and an inexpensive tool for communicating/broadcasting almost any type of message. I, among many others at GSA, employ webinars very frequently for training and guiding industry partners on government program and contracting issues. It's easy to structure Q&A sessions in a single webinar session among interested parties located in different/distant offices, buildings, cities, or countries. Webinars are an efficient means to relay information using Slide Presentations, Spreadsheets, Photos, Videos, and other audiovisual material quickly without increasing industry and government travel and material costs; more important, the costs of lost productive time traveling from one point to another is completely avoided. Webinars, however, are not the panacea for all types of meetings tran33m.com , as they do have their significant limitations. So, first decide on the purpose of the conference. For example, is the meeting to discuss operational issues over an hour or two; or to train others on a topic that can be understood between presenter and listener with limited interaction over an hour or two; or is the meeting to broadcast information that can be absorbed and accepted by the recipient quickly without much concern to all? If so, then a webinar might be the ideal medium to use. On the other hand, if the intent of the meeting is to establish strong, professional relationships now; or to train, counsel, or advise on a complex or sensitive matter; or any type of meeting where a lot of group and one-on-one interaction is required, then there is no substitute for looking into another person’s eyes. In those instances, it's probably best to arrange for a face-to-face conference - that is, of course, if you have the budget and time for traveling.