From 2004 to 2011, the Web 2.0 Summit, an annual event revolving around technology and the Internet, was organized by Tim O’Reilly (also the founder), his company O’Reilly Media, and entrepreneur John Battelle. Every year, the event was held in San Francisco, California.

Throughout the years, the Web 2.0 Summit featured some of the most influential and successful leading figures in the web community. Before we dive deeper into the importance of the event for the development of the Internet, let’s tackle some interesting related topics.

Tim O’Reilly is widely credited for having popularized the term “Web 2.0”. Although we have already come a long way since that stage of the Internet’s evolution (the latest wave is Web 5.0 and is known as the sensory Internet), the Web 2.0 was a true mark, which has ultimately shaped the way we continue using the Internet.

Web 2.0

The Web 2.0 is also known as the social web. From that piece of information alone, you can tell why we say that the Web 2.0 is still pretty much pivotal to the Internet. Social is the basis of today’s entire digital world.

The social web refers to the platforms that emphasize content generated by the users, a culture of participation, a virtual community, simplicity and functionality of use, and intercompatibility across systems and devices.

The term Web 2.0 was first invented in 1999 by web designer and user-experience expert Darcy DiNucci. In 2004, precisely at the very first installment of the Web 2.0 Summit, Tim O’Reilly and Dale Dougherty reintroduced the concept, which quickly gained more popularity.

The first Web 2.0 Conference – 2004

To be exact, the Web 2.0 Summit was not always the Web 2.0 Summit. For the first two years, the official name for the event was Web 2.0 Conference. The first ever edition was held at the Hotel Nikko, in San Francisco, from October 5^th to 7^th, 2004. Widely famous speakers, even more so now, included Jeff Bezos and Mark Cuban.

Through its existence, the Web 2.0 Summit even originated spin-off events, such as the Web 2.0 Expo, from 2007 to 2011, and the Gov 2.0 Summit, in 2009 and 2010.

Nowadays, so many people browse the Internet, that it is natural to think of resorting to the online world to promote and manage an event, whatever the type. Here are three essential steps to success.

Get the latest management software

You are surely aware that planning, organizing and managing an event involves taking care of multiple tasks all at once. It is essential that you ensure that each and every aspect of the event comes together at just the right time.

Even for the most organized and efficient person, doing all this is quite difficult. And it is only natural that human mistakes happen. So, resorting to top-notch software for event management will allow you to keep on top of everything and get your event running without any hassle.

You should get your hands on the latest software as early in the planning process as possible. Of course, the choice of software depends on your needs, demands, specificities and budget. Take a look at a few options before deciding on one. Choose whatever is easy to use and ideal for your type of event.

Take advantage of social media groups

Once you set up the event using your new management software, it’s time to reach out to social media users. One way to do it is by creating and managing a group on different social media networks and inviting users who are likely interested in the subject.

In terms of the social promotion effort, Facebook offers the best tools, although other services, such as Twitter and Instagram, can also be quite effective. Still, their group managing options are less in number, quality and variety.

Your work is not done once you set up your social media group. It is vital that you keep it dynamic and interesting. Post details about your upcoming event, as well as content that serves as a teaser for what’s to come.

Don’t hesitate to post videos and photos. Interact with users by liking, commenting and sharing their posts and encouraging them to do the same with your content. When managed efficiently, social media groups have the power to build your audience organically and for free.

Advertise across various platforms

If you only use one platform for advertising, it is guaranteed that you are not reaching as many Internet users as possible. You are actually losing many potential attendees.

Remember that some users prefer certain platforms, while others who would also be very much interested in your event use completely different ones. So, there is the need to widen your scope.

Set up an integrated strategy. For instance, manage an event group on Facebook, where you also link to your Instagram page and your Twitter account. Then, keep tweeting about the event.

While you should advertise on multiple platforms, it is also true that you should focus your time, energy and resources on the most popular ones. But be aware of what are the preferred platforms of your target audience. If you are organizing a niche event, you need to adjust your social media strategy accordingly.

Study your demographic and move more of your advertising budget towards the suitable mediums. At the same time, make sure you are still active across the mass networks.

In summary, event management is easier and more efficient over the Internet. Leverage the powerful of digital marketing and see countless attendees packing your venue.

We are finally seeing a wave of innovation and diversification in the events business. These are five of the startups leading the conversation.

Eat in My Seat

The immediate reaction of “wow, that is quite a great idea” is common to most people who hear about the concept of the startup Eat in My Seat. The value is all in the simplicity and functionality.

With the Eat in My Seat app, attendees are able to connect to the food options at an events venue, submit an order, pay through the app and select whether to collect the food or have it delivered by their seat.

A notification is sent once the order is ready. The startup is really helping make large events more manageable and enjoyable by allowing attendees to not have to wait in line.

Sponseasy

The platform created by the team at Sponseasy is not targeted at event attendees, but rather at event organizers. With the tool, planners can create a personalized package to present to potential sponsors and advertisers as part of their proposal.

By following a step-by-step guide, users get to include relevant sections of information such as the target audience for the event or the expected number of attendees. Sponseasy even offers predesigned sponsorship packages.

The deck is then ready to display not only directly to sponsors, but also on social media and at the event’s official website.

Fantrotter

It seems to be undeniable that most of the innovation currently taking place in the events business has to do with festivals and music shows. Fantrotter is one of the best examples of this market trend.

Fantrotter is a service that helps concert goers set up their travel and accommodation arrangements. In fact, online services that aid customers in the often-exhausting task of finding and booking a hotel at their destination are all the rage now. Fantrotter is no exception.

99CentEventStreaming

This startup concept was certainly named with good old marketing at its core. The name of the service says it all. 99CentEventStreaming allows event planners to stream and archive their event by synching with the platform Eventbrite.

They can sell streaming-exclusive daily tickets for, you guessed it, 99 cents. The video content is archived for 12 months, and there are actually very few limits as to how much content event planners are permitted to stream. The virtual attendees need to enter with an Eventbrite account.

EventKloud

EventKloud is a startup company that promises to facilitate the work of all the event marketers who need to track and analyze tons of data. Nowadays, event marketing happens across websites, apps, social media, search engines and paid ads.

There is the need for a functional and intuitive dashboard tool that groups all the information in one place. The package of features provided by EventKloud answers to a multitude of needs from event marketers.

From event planners, to marketers, to attendees, there is something for everyone in the revived assortment of software services in the events business.