I remember when Webex by Cisco first it the scene, in 1995. I think the world shook a little. Ah yes, the birth of the webinar. The birth of the web meeting.
WebEx, now part of Cisco, has a history rooted in online collaboration. Originally founded as ActiveTouch in 1996 by Subrah Iyar and Min Zhu, it later became WebEx Communications and went public in 2000. Cisco acquired WebEx in 2007 for $3.2 billion, integrating it into their collaboration solutions. The platform has evolved significantly, incorporating AI and machine learning to enhance meeting experiences and expand its capabilities.
According to 'Grok' in 2025: A webinar is an online seminar or presentation conducted over the internet, typically in real-time, allowing participants to engage with the presenter and content from anywhere with an internet connection. It combines "web" and "seminar" and is often used for educational, professional, or marketing purposes. Webinars usually include features like live video, slides, polls, or Q&A sessions, enabling interactive communication. They can be live or pre-recorded and are hosted on platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or dedicated webinar software. Common uses include training sessions, product demos, thought leadership talks, or virtual workshops.
I think that in 2025 no one wants to attend a Webinar (or a meeting). Ah, but they DO want the RESULTS of attending the meeting. They want the VALUE of the meeting, of the conference, of the event. The BUSINESS OUTCOMES. They want an ROI for their time and money. With webinars, it is mostly an ROI for their TIME.
Next month we are inviting 15,000+ of our NADLA.org members who are in the 'Trucking' world to attend a vendor event (webinar) on INSURANCE. Yeah, I guess if you are in the transportation business, you need insurance. So, they should care about the topic of insurance.
Ah, but will they ATTEND? And if they attend, will they ENGAGE? And if they engage will they create REVENUE for the vendor paying for the engagement?
My job is to get a big YES from everyone.
YES! This was a good use of my time and money. Yes, it was.
