Vivastream is the official social platform of SES San Francisco, designed to help you meet the right people and attend the right sessions and events. Check out this guide on how to make the most out of Vivastream before, during, and after SES SF.
SES San Francisco 2012 is just a week away. If you’re attending (or if you want to – yes, there’s still time to register now and save money), one must-have social platform for the event is Vivastream. This is definitely worth joining to make sure you’re meeting the right people and attending the right sessions and events at SES San Francisco.
To help you along the way, we’ve compiled a step by step guide on how to make the most out of Vivastream before, during and after the event. Vivastream is a platform you can use on your PC, tablet or mobile device, the links in this article point to the related Web pages. And the pictures below will show you what to look for, and the experience, from your smartphone.
To get started, go to Vivastream.com from your computer or tablet (be sure to also download Vivastream from your app marketplace as the event nears), and register to create a profile. You can register with an email address and password, or directly via your Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn accounts. If you are a speaker, then likely you are pre-registered on Vivastream so check your inbox for an email from Vivastream.
Now you’re ready to follow the guide below!
Once you’ve verified your account, make sure you have a picture attached to your profile (who wants to meet with an orange avatar, anyway?). This can be taken directly from your Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook accounts should you choose to sign in with one of these. Click on the Settings tab to upload your picture, edit/complete your profile and set your communication preferences. You can also connect your other social network accounts (Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook) to your Vivastream profile, and allow people to follow or connect with you directly from Vivastream.
Click on the Topics tab and you will find every topic related to the SES conference that you could ever think of. At any time you can click on this page to see the hottest topics of interest by attendees for the event. Even cocktails are listed here! Simply click on those that interest you and you will be able to select whether you are interested in or can help with that topic (you can select both). This helps to build your personal profile. By clicking topics you can help with or are interested in, Vivastream will create a Who to Know ranking of the top 50 people that you should meet during the event. The more precise your selections are, the more relevant your Who to Know results will be.
To select the sessions you are going to attend at the conference, you can browse in 2 ways. Either click on the Sessions tab and go through them all in chronological order, or click on the Tracks tab and browse the sessions via our track listings. Simply click on the sessions you are planning to attend and click attend. This will then be added to your profile and will also appear on your SES San Francisco 2012 Activity Feed (see point 6).
Click on the Exhibitors tab and you will be presented with all SES San Francisco exhibitors in alphabetical order. If on the web or tablet, you will be able to read a synopsis of each company and what they offer, in addition to finding their booth location & logo. You will also be provided with at least one contact from that company who you can connect with on Vivastream for more information, or to arrange a time to meet up with those Representatives (and any in your Who To Know) at the show.
This is one of the most unique and useful features that Vivastream offers. It’s a real-time listing of the top 50 like-minded marketing professionals and executives you should get to know at this year’s conference. Each Who to Know ranking is specific for you. Vivastream is dynamically ranking the right people to know at the event based on your aligned interests and topics of expertise, so this may change as you continue to check into sessions and click topics you can help with. The list is in order of importance – so #1 is the person who is most important for you to meet according to your profile selections.
To keep up-to-date with the latest information on who is attending or speaking in a session, who can help with a certain topic, and who is interested in a specific topic, Click on the Homepage icon from your PC or tablet, or the V! Stream tab at the bottom of the app.
Here, a real-time news feed will appear with all the latest activity from people at the show. Check it regularly to meet your Top 50 Who To Know, and see what Topics are trending!
When you click on the People tab from PC or tablet, you will see all attendees, with your Top 50 Who To Know attendees at the top. From the mobile app, you can filter your list so it presents people in the following categories:
Before the event kicks off, you can send a message to fellow attendees on Vivastream, or friend, follow or connect with them via Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, if that person has enabled those connections. This is a great way to check out and get in touch with all the people you want to, and should meet at the event. You can message anyone attending the SES San Francisco event — so start networking now! When on the mobile app at the show and after you meet someone new who you would like to stay connected with, simply click through their profile and click We’ve Connected. They will then show up in your list of connections (see category above).
Finally, after SES San Francisco is over, you can ensure you stay connected with the right people. Whether you want to follow up with a conversation you had during the ClickZ Academy Onsite Training, reconnect after meeting at the Networking and Special Events, or simply introduce yourself, click on your Inbox and compose a message.
Here is a function of Vivastream that should add a little spice to some of our sessions at SES. Speakers will be polling attendees in their sessions either before or during the session around topics they will be covering. These could be multiple choice questions or a simple yes/no question where the results will be streamed in real-time allowing panelists to comment within the session. Make sure you click that you are planning to Attend your selected Sessions, to personalize the agenda of Your Sessions on Vivastream, and you’ll be included in the related polls.
In the Sessions section of Vivastream and during SES San Francisco, you can Check-In to the various Sessions and activities taking place. Each time you Check-In, you will see who else in the room is there, AND which of those folks are in your Who To Know list, so you can make those valuable connections. So be sure to consistently check in as you attend the keynote to workshop, to luncheon, to panel, to reception.…and to the after party!
This brand new feature of Vivastream gives you the opportunity to rate the session immediately after it takes place! You can rate the overall session out of 5 and leave general feedback, as well as take the chance to rate each speaker from that session. You can even say whether you would recommend this session to a colleague so they can perhaps look up the slides if they weren’t able to attend that particular session.
If you head to the homepage of SES San Francisco you will be able to view the hosts of the event. Several members of the SES team are listed here, so if you would like to connect with one of us or ask a question you’ll see the relevant profiles there – we would be happy to hear from you!
That wraps up the list – if you follow all the steps above you will certainly enrich your experience with us at SES San Francisco in a couple of weeks. So what are you waiting for – go and log into Vivastream.com and begin your social experience at the SES San Francisco event now. I’ll see you there at SES San Francisco in a couple of weeks!