AMD (NYSE:AMD) today unveiled the AMD Virtual IT
Experience, a revolutionary online event that offers a new way to
approach audiences seeking access to information about AMD and its
partners. The AMD Virtual IT Experience is an interactive,
content-rich venue to help customers quickly locate information, tools
and advice to combat IT problems and advance their business -- whether
it's finding new ways to solve issues concerning power and cooling
within the datacenter or the latest trends in server virtualization.
AMD collaborated with fellow IT industry leaders, including Accenture,
CDW, HP, IBM, Microsoft(R), Novell, Oracle and Sun Microsystems, to
provide comprehensive, compelling information which will now be
accessible from this new online platform.
By using the latest interactive technology, the AMD Virtual IT
Experience revolutionizes the approach to traditional marketing to be
more customer-centric, targeting high-level business users with a
one-of-a-kind experience. Its three-dimensional (3D), first-person
experience brings users into a simulated trade show environment
through which attendees will navigate, interact and gather valuable
information. Because it is an online resource, all attendees are
empowered to steer their own course, choose information of interest,
participate in demos, and observe the keynotes at any time they wish
-- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Participating vendors are able
to connect effectively with interested customers and generate sales
leads that both help satisfy sales managers and do not irritate
customers.
"The AMD Virtual IT Experience is an important step forward in
providing customers with rich and useful content in an accessible
format. We live in a world where time is money, thus executives want
to access the latest information without any delay in order to stay
competitive," said Henri Richard, executive vice president and Chief
Marketing Officer at AMD. "Mirroring the physical world where
meaningful transactions are now being conducted online, this virtual
site leverages the benefits of the Internet to create a new,
cost-efficient vehicle for communicating a company's value
proposition. This innovative customer-centric approach is a great
marketing tool that brings great value to customers, and is another
reason partners are selecting AMD as the smarter choice. While nothing
can replace face-to-face interaction, we believe this will augment
physical events and meetings to help facilitate the exchange of
critical information, any time, any place."
Attendees can expect to have a more rewarding experience obtaining
information through the AMD Virtual IT Experience than they would
through more conventional online avenues, such as multiple vendor Web
sites. Accessible over the Internet on a standard system, the online
site features rich, interactive 3D audio and video components, as well
as access to relevant information that maps to specific industry
issues. Specifically, the AMD Virtual IT Experience includes:
-- An interactive walk-through of individual vendor booths,
allowing attendees the option to view demos and obtain
information, as well as engage in live chat with participating
representatives
-- 3D visual representation of new partner products
-- Keynote speeches
-- Virtual event bag: a virtual bag for attendees to collect key
information collateral and contacts and then download with one
click rather than dozens
-- Gifts and giveaways: since AMD understands that half the fun
of a tradeshow is snagging the "coolest" shirt or novelty
item, attendees can still add their favorite giveaways.
"We live in a world that has been vastly changed by the Internet
and this means that the industry is looking for greater choice when it
comes to how they access information, beyond relying simply on
physical events," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst of the Enderle
Group. "Forward-looking companies are looking for new ways to use the
Web to address the purchasing needs of IT buyers while eliminating the
lost time that physical events create. The AMD Virtual IT Experience
is one of the most advanced examples of this change and showcases how
AMD is leading the technology industry into this new world of more
efficient, and more convenient, technology showcases."
As the site was being created, AMD commissioned a study with
leading market research firm, Russell Research, to determine what
benefits and learnings could be derived from physical events and
redrawn in an online experience and what elements were redundant or
inefficient. While respondents find clear benefits in attending
tradeshows, several drawbacks were identified in the survey, mostly
related to cost and time involved in attendance. In fact, AMD
discovered that approximately 44 percent of tradeshow attendees attest
that they do not get their money's worth; that is a significant group
of people who are not reaping the benefits of what a tradeshow can
potentially offer.
Top level results include:
-- Of the total number surveyed who attended a trade show, cost
and time were cited as the two largest drawbacks by 33 percent
and 32 percent respectively. As a trade show season gets
underway, many organizations may seek to leverage multiple
resources outside of trade shows to get the largest return on
investment.
-- Traditional trade shows offer organizations the option of
in-person interaction, but, according to the survey, a leading
reason for attending trade shows was the ability to get
information from vendors with 84 percent citing that aspect as
extremely or very important. The second most popular reason
was learning from industry experts.
The AMD Virtual IT Experience site is live today; please visit at
http://virtualexperience.AMD.com.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD) is a leading global provider of
innovative microprocessor solutions for computing, communications and
consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1969, AMD is dedicated to
delivering superior computing solutions based on customer needs that
empower users worldwide. For more information visit www.amd.com.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, and combinations thereof, are trademarks
of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft is a registered trademark of
Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
