Once upon a time there was a 14 year old kid walking through JFK Airport in New York when she was spotted by the owner of a fashion agency. And the modelling career of Kate Moss began.

Way back in 1977 a funny looking aspiring actor auditioned for a guest role as an alien on the television show Happy Days and won the part after apparently sitting on his head in the producer’s office. It was the start of big things for Robin Williams.

And not too long ago a music producer eating in a little restaurant in Melbourne was so taken with the voice of the young girl singing in the corner that he offered to manage her immediately. The producer was Jack Strom and the singer was teenager Vanessa Amorosi.

It’s good to remember – I think – that not all “discoveries” are done on places like YouTube and MySpace and other internet sites.

I’m saying this having recently returned from the Meetings & Events Australia conference in Melbourne where there was plenty of talk about the power of social media. In one session a speaker made note of “The Obama Girl” (type Crush on Obama into YouTube), and the young boy whose mum uploaded his audition for a music competition on YouTube because his grandparents couldn’t attend. The Obama Girl (Amber Lee) is now a celebrity of sorts while Justin Bieber has a real-life music career and is making millions.

Also at the conference, a colleague reported that one attendee said she received a $250k piece of business via Facebook. On another day the entire audience was made privy to one Facebook comment about how great the previous night’s party had been.

Seriously, this social media stuff really is taking on a life of its own and, in my humble opinion, perhaps a little too much. The way the talk is going right now it’s as if nothing happens unless there is a social media element.

The reality is that these new formats are simply new ways of communicating and not some incredibly new mediums that will change the world forever. One Facebook message about how good a party was. Wow! A $250k piece of business secured via Facebook. Nice, but it could very well have come via a telephone call, or an exhibition, or a site inspection. In fact, the venue probably books 50 times that amount via the old fashioned channels – word of mouth, exhibiting, advertising, and sales calls.

Don’t get me wrong. I think that social media platforms have their place. Our www.micespace.net.au blog is certainly picking up steam. I can see the value for these types of forums extremely effective in promoting meetings and events, and great for an exchange of information between delegates.

The power of e-newsletters and websites generally can’t be underestimated.
All I’m saying is that we shouldn’t forget the past and some of the old-fashioned mediums because right now that’s where the bread and butter remains for the majority of us... thank goodness.

brad@mice.net.au
 

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