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ON24 Announces First Industry Webinar Academy and Professional Certification Program

October 1st, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – October 1, 2013ON24, Inc., the global leader in webcasting and virtual communication solutions, today announced that it is sponsoring the industry’s first Webinar Academy and an accompanying professional certification program. Launching with a half-day, free-to-attend live online event on October 3, 2013, the unique Webinar Academy will deliver the latest best practices for webinar producers, promoters and presenters.“Becoming a certified Webinar Pro makes sense whether you are interested in improving your webinar expertise or a webinar expert seeking ‘official’ certification,” explained ON24 Chief Marketing Officer Denise Persson. With three distinct content tracks and a keynote from Forrester Research, the Webinar Academy “classes” will provide anyone involved with the production of webcasts, using any platform, with a well-rounded curriculum featuring key tactics for webinar success, as well as strategies to optimize overall webinar performance.

According to the 2012 Tech Marketing Planning Guidance report from Forrester Research, webinars are playing an increasing role in marketing – from brand awareness and lead generation and nurturing to upselling and cross-selling. In the Webinar Academy’s keynote presentation, Forrester analyst Zachary Reiss-Davis will explain how companies can optimize webinar use throughout the customer lifecycle.

The Webinar Academy’s three tracks reflect the three traditional roles in webinar planning and execution—the Producer, Promoter and Presenter. The content tracks will feature sessions led by experts in the webinar creation process:

• A Producer Pro track, for webinar producers: How to plan and execute a webinar from start to finish, with sessions on Integrating with Marketing Automation & CRM, Creating a Branded Audience Experience and Effective Lead Scoring
• A Promoter Pro track, for webinar promoters: How to use different tactics to drive registration, attendance and on-demand viewing, with sessions on Building an On-Demand Strategy, Social Media Integration and Creating Compelling Promotions
• A Presenter Pro track, for presenters: How to design presentations and interact with an audience during live and on-demand webinars, with sessions on Delivering Interactive Webinars, Creating Webinar Content and Using Video in Webinars

The goal of the Webinar Academy program is to provide valuable content and Webinar Pro designations to advance professionalism in the industry. To be certified and receive a track-specific badge, audience members must attend four 25-minute Webinar Academy sessions, either live or on-demand, and pass a test administered after the completion of the track. If attendees successfully complete all three tracks, they receive the Webinar Pro certification and badge. All certifications and badges can be added to professional profiles and social media channels such as LinkedIn.

“Professional certifications are evidence of proficiency,” commented Persson. “As webcasting becomes the preferred solution for applications such as lead generation, brand awareness and employee communications, certifications like Webinar Pro will become increasingly important to enterprise marketers and communicators.”

More about the Webinar Academy

  • What: The Webinar Academy, presented by ON24
  • When: Thursday, October 3, 2013
  • Keynote Address: 9 am PT / 12 pm ET / 5 pm BST
  • Certification Tracks: 10 am PT /1 pm ET / 6 pm BST
  • Registration Link: https://bit.ly/GztqzI
  • Twitter Hashtag: #WebinarAcademy

About ON24, Inc.
ON24, the virtual communications platform for the global enterprise, provides interactive, impactful cloud-based solutions that drive outstanding results. ON24 offers a broad and innovative product portfolio, including webcasting, virtual events and virtual environments, accessible from any device and supported by robust reporting and analytics. Applications for the ON24 platform include demand generation, partner enablement, virtual talent onboarding and development, product launches, company town hall meetings and user conferences. More than 800 organizations, including IBM, CA Technologies, Merck, Unilever, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Credit Suisse, Ernst & Young, Amazon and SAP, rely on ON24. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices throughout the world. For more information, visit https://www.ON24.com.