Being the oldest kid on the block has its advantages. Ask Tom Wieser of Computer Generated Solutions, Inc (CGS). He believes that his company's 25 years of experience in the industry uniquely positions it to play a leading role in the expanding field of virtual event planning. The majority of players in the virtual event field today tend to be singular in focus, mostly younger companies with a single mission. CGS, on the other hand, employs a multi-faceted model, utilizing multiple lines of business-consulting, call centers and e-learning modules-all of which make CGS a formidable player on the virtual event stage and one of the reasons they are bringing formerly reticent industries into the fold.
CGS offers, among other services, comprehensive professional networking including free-flow as well as moderated chat rooms dedicated to specific topics with screened and moderated questions. Also, users have the ability create their own profile and upload photos. Third, CGS offers profile matching in which individuals can check on others with similar interests during the course of an event. Wieser also stresses that some of the options offered by CGS are limited by the client's technology which may not be able to support specific services.
Wieser is excited about the new frontiers opening up to virtual event planners. Industries that once shied away from the virtual environment such as health care and pharmaceuticals are beginning to embrace the new technology. This creates limitless opportunities for a company with the experience and resources of CGS. Wieser believes that virtual event production is primarily a service industry, not a self-service or subscription industry, and this has caused some problems in the past. The tendency for some, specifically some publishers, to squeeze providers with pricing led to too much emphasis on self-service when greater hands-on involvement was required.
As Wieser sees it, one of the greatest challenges facing the industry is perception of competence. In a field littered with young start-ups and technology crashes, assuaging the fears of potential clients is vital. This is where CGS's experience comes in. "I think that that's a major issue that obviously CGS is leveraging extremely well, because people tend to see that suddenly our legacy of being a strong technology company for 25 years suddenly plays a major role to mitigate that risk," he says.
Founded in New York City in 1984, CGS currently generates $250 million in revenue. It serves North America, Europe, and Asia with 20 global locations and roughly 3000 employees worldwide.
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