Jam will discuss the benefits of including a virtual event in your marketing strategy and provide examples on how to apply them. She will reveal a few virtual event ideas which you can implement in your organization and how ProFora can help you start with your first virtual event.

Topics to be discussed:

• Virtual event basics
• Types of virtual events (webinars, live streaming and virtual environments for expos, conferences & job fairs)
• Benefits of hosting a virtual event
• How this complements your existing marketing strategies
• Examples of real world applications
• Virtual event ideas

Choose from any of the available schedules below and reserve your seat! All sessions are in Philippine time.

September 7, 2010
11:00 AM to 12NN

September 14, 2010
11:00 AM to 12NN

We also accept special webinar sessions for your organization outside of the schedules above. Let us know and we’d be glad to schedule one for you.

Why go online?

Awaken
Expand the reach of your company ideology by sharing your vision through a virtual experience that goes across and timezones.

Capture
Capture your target market, as well as identify and qualify prospects. You can also gather additional marketing data and get more immediate feedback through virtual events.

Multiply
Encourage new growth when it comes to prospecting and recruiting. Enhance your hiring and training efforts by orienting and interviewing potential employees or customers through a single virtual environment.

Evoke
Extend your mind share with your existing client base through discussions in virtual classrooms, conferences, and webinars.

Involve
Encourage more involvement from clients by giving them a direct voice. Nurture public awareness and drive traffic to your online or on-ground assets through virtual focus groups.

Expand your Media Mileage

Branding and logo inclusion within a virtual event.

• Promotional slides before, during and after an event
• Logo and link placement in waiting room
• Push sponsor landing page after attendee registration
• Live acknowledgements by hosts before, during and after an event
• Links in event description
• Time allotment to talk about the brand
• Give out virtual prizes or promotional codes at each virtual event

Branding, logo placement and linkage in marketing efforts for each virtual event.

• Event landing pages
• Email blasts
• Registration pages
• Banner ads on partner / affiliate websites and blogs
• Posts on partner / affiliate blogs
• Status updates on various social media sites
• Product integration into podcasts and video blogs for promotions

ANYONE can attend a virtual event. Once click to reserve your seat, another click to enter the room and join the session. A virtual event can happen ANYTIME of the day or night. Travel distance and time equates to sitting down in front of your computer and joining the session. You can attend or host a virtual event from ANYWHERE. The only thing you need is an Internet connection.

It’s simple. It’s innovative. It’s virtual events.

Common questions from entrepreneurs:  What is the role of lawyers in setting up a business?  When is it necessary to tap their services?  Is there a standard format for the annual stockholders’ minutes of the meeting?  What obligations do I have as a business entity when it comes to local government?

Atty. Salvador “Bong” Belaro, Jr., L.L.M., author of the book, Legal Forms for Entrepreneurs, will be answering these questions and more with his series of webinars for entrepreneurs entitled “Legal Forms: An Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide”.   Atty. Belaro will also give tips in selecting a good lawyer for an entrepreneur as well as discuss the categories of legal forms and their subsequent details in this 5-part webinar series.

Atty. Belaro’s series of online talks is part of the ongoing ProFora Media Lightbulb Sessions.

The first webinar by Atty. Bong Belaro- Introduction to Legal Forms- happens on Thursday, 03 December 2009, 8PM to 9PM Philippine Standard Time (GMT +8:00).

This is a free webinar. Interested parties may register here.

Webinars are an easy and convenient way to learn.  All one needs is a PC or laptop, and a stable internet connection, which means you can plug in from the office, a coffee shop, a wifi-enabled resort or hotel, from out of the country, or even the comfort of your own home.

“Legal Forms: An Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide” ties in directly to Atty. Bong Belaro’s handy guide for business owners and entrepreneurs.  Legal Forms for Entrepreneurs by Atty. Bong Belaro is a simple and readable reference for the general public, particularly for entrepreneurs, OFWs and all those who want to do business in the Philippines.

In fact, entrepreneurs and business owners can save thousands in legal fees by using outlines and samples in this compilation of basic legal forms and letters commonly used in the current Philippine business setting.   Legal Forms for Entrepreneurs is available at National Bookstore, Powerbooks and Fully Booked outlets.

For more information about Atty. Belaro’s webinar series- “Legal Forms: An Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide”, on other ProFora Media Lightbulb Sessions, as well as inquiries for the various payment options available, you may contact the ProFora Team via email– info@proforamedia.com, or through phone– +632.376.7040.

More information about ProFora Media and its upcoming Lightbulb Sessions and other virtual events are also available on the websites and social media pages included below.

* (blog) www.philippineonlinetraining.com
* (multiply) www.proforamedia.multiply.com
* (twitter) www.twitter.com/proforamedia
* (facebook) www.facebook.com/ProForaWebinars.
* (youtube) www.youtube.com/user/proforamedia

See you at The Lightbulb Sessions!

Atty. Belaro is extremely passionate about helping out entrepreneurs.  He believes that entrepreneurs should take a more proactive approach when dealing with their ventures, and not just consult with a lawyer when problems with the business come up.

In fact, he even wrote a book specifically on the subject matter.  Legal Forms for Entrepreneurs, which is available at Fully Booked, National Bookstore and PowerBooks, is a comprehensive reference and must-have for Filipino entrepreneurs and business owners.

With Atty. Belaro’s book, you can save thousands in legal fees by using outlines and samples in his compilation of basic legal forms and letters commonly used in current Philippine business setting.

And as part of this initiative to help out Filipino entrepreneurs, Atty. Belaro has a series of webinars, specifically for entrepreneurs with ProFora Media.

His webinar- “Legal Forms: An Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide”- gives business owners and entrepreneurs an overview on why it is necessary to retain the services of a good lawyer, specifically for ther business endeavors.He has other webinars lined up with ProFora Media for the year 2010.

Atty. Belaro practices law as a partner in Belaro and Associates.  Their law firm has had dealing in litigation and corporate law, international trade, cross-border transactions, offshore registrations, real estate, government procurement and intellectual property.

Atty. Belaro also has his own entrepreneurial endeavors, including printing and publishing, importing and trading, and leasing out commercial spaces.  He publishes the Pilipinas Bulletin, a tabloid distrbuted at LRT and MRT stations on weekdays.

Bear in mind: webinars make for a great learning platform. They’re essentially highly-interactive online talks, seminars and workshops. Speakers and participants all congregate in a virtual room over the internet, where they discuss a topic, answer questions and share notes and in real-time, from just about anywhere around the world.

Now, while webinars are ultimately very convenient– that is, you can plug in from the comfort of your own home, a coffee shop, or just about any wi-fi enabled location- you can actually pay attention to a few details to maximize your online learning experience.

Just like any activity, it pays to be systematic. So here are a few simple tips on how to get the most out the webinar of your choice.

Signing Up For The Webinar.

1. Register for the webinar. Too obvious? Perhaps, but it simply can’t be ignored. Remember that many webinars have limited seats, and therefore only a relative few can be accommodated.

Check with the registration page, and make sure the webinar date agrees with your schedule. All the details you might possibly need are also on the registration page: about the topic, a bio on the speaker, contact details of the organizers, various payment options, and links to other important resources.

2. Pay on time. Registration is good, as it reserves your slot for the webinar, but to seal the deal, you might have to shell out a few for your attendance.  Most webinar companies make several payment options available for you- so you can pay via direct bank deposit, credit card, PayPal or some other means.

3. Check your email for updates. It is not uncommon for speakers or virtual event organizers to send reminders and material via email.

In addition to your notices confirming your attendance and receipt of payment, note that you can also get assignments and handouts in your inbox, as well as important action items that you might need to go through before your webinar. You don’t want to be left out when these updates come through, so keep your eye on your email from time to time.

Just Before Webinar Day.

4.  Prepare for the webinar. Yes, you can pretty much plug in from anywhere. Webinars are great that way- as long as you have a decent PC or laptop and a stable internet connection, you should be good.

Also consider, however, the time you’ll be attending your webinar- would you be having guests over? Or perhaps your pets are out to get some affection from you. Try to do away with as many of these distractions as you can foresee, and work on creating the ideal webinar environment for yourself.

5. Invest in a good USB headset. We’ve had a significant number of attendees who attended our webinars without the proper gear.

A USB headset is the most convenient of all, because you can easily plug it in, and only do some minor configuring or tweaking, and you’re good to go.

Besides, the sound quality comes out so much better on a USB headset, so it not only gets you the best possible audio from the speaker and your fellow participants, but it also allows you to interact with them when it is time to do so.

6. Prepare your questions beforehand. Before attending the webinar, have a good idea of what you want to learn for yourself.   Since you at least have an idea what the topic is anyway, go right ahead and jot down some questions. What made you interested in the webinar in the first place anyway? How can you apply your learning to your career, your business or whatever project you’re working on at the moment?

Some of these questions of yours will be answered during the course of the discussion, while some might not. Go on and ask your questions- remember, the whole point of the exercise is to learn something, so don’t be shy.

On The Day of The Webinar

7. Clear your PC/laptop.  Avoid running other unnecessary programs in the background, while you’re attending the webinar.   Clear your desktop of incriminating programs, themes or wallpaper. Remember that in a webinar, you might be given the option to show others what’s on your screen, so don’t be caught unawares when this happens.

Similarly, try not to run programs that eat up a lot of bandwidth. The quality of your downstream (the sound they hear from your end) or upstream (the sound you hear from the speakers and participants) largely depends on the available bandwidth, so yes, you’ll want to keep your channels open.

8. Check your audio settings. Make sure the audio you’re receiving is at a comfortable level, and make sure your mic is good to go at a moment’s notice.  As an attendee, while your mic might be muted for the better part of the discussion, remember that the speaker or event organizer can call on you to share a few thoughts, introduce yourself, or ask a question.

Many webinar organizers actually open the virtual rooms early to allow you to fix your audio settings. Use that opportunity, and take some time to make sure your mic is working alright.

9. Take down notes.  Writing down notes while listening to the webinar helps in retaining the information, and gives you an easy reference readily available for your review.  Remember that little bits and pieces might actually be mentioned outside the speaker’s notes or prepared slides- sites you might want to visit, important authors or sources, books or other things you may have to check out, etc.

Doesn’t matter if you choose Notepad, or use an actual notepad and pen/pencil. As long as you make your own notes, go right ahead.

10. Interact. Webinars are not one-way discussions. One of the most interesting features of webinars is that it allows you to exchange ideas not only with the speakers, but also with the other participants.

Depending on the webinar, the organizers might allow you some time to comment or throw a question. Share your opinions, or share what you know. Even differing views make the discussion more engaging.

ProFora Media is in the business of webinars, virtual events, and online solutions for corporations, organizations and small business owners.  As far as webinars, online talks and workshops are concerned, we usually have a selection of sessions available for anyone who’d want to check it out.

For any sort of inquiries, you may contact the ProFora Team via email– info@proforamedia.com, or through phone– +632.376.7040.  More information about ProFora Media and its upcoming webinars and other virtual events are also available on the websites and social media pages included below.

* (learning hub and community) www.philippineonlinetraining.com
* (multiply) www.proforamedia.multiply.com
* (twitter) www.twitter.com/proforamedia
* (facebook) www.facebook.com/ProForaWebinars.
* (youtube) www.youtube.com/user/proforamedia

Cheers, everyone!