One of the areas we have been considering with a few clients is how to get more out of the plethora of roadshows and fairs that are the staple diet of recruiters. One possible approach is to shift the fairs online, which is what recruiters have been testing with Job Fairs in Second Life (I’ve bleated about that far too much), or Interactive Job Fairs on the Wall Street Journal. Another approach is to reconsider the way that information is packaged at these fairs. Another, as in the case of Vodafone is to bring the fairs to you. Mind you, not all of us have that investment power.

Oh yes, and continuing on my mobile soapbox, I thought that the last link was quite interesting…

Wall Street Journal Virtual Careers Fair (http://www.wsj-classified.com/vcf/recruiter_showfloorgallery.html)
Many thanks to Beth Donahue for this one. Kind of does what it says on the tin, really. Only you don’t need to be a Second Life guru to enjoy it.

WHITEVoid (http://www.whitevoid.com/application.html)
Aside from the engaging Flash-based navigation format, they have some interesting and engaging examples of innovating touchpoints. Look at Interfaces and Interactive Objects.

Vodafone Visionarium (http://www.vodafone.com/flash/future/application/index.html ; http://www.vodafonejourney.com/)
Vodafone took a slightly different approach to keeping consumers in touch with the state of their technological development by building a bespoke in-house facility called the Visionarium at their HQ. On a regular basis, journalists and industry movers & shakers are entertained to an immersive interactive showcase of technologies, prototypes, ideas and presentations. Agencies, suppliers and clients can all use this facility. If the mountain won’t move to Mohammed…

Anyhoo, much of the content that is developed for the Visionarium then gets replayed on the web. Vodafone Future and Vodafone Journey are two nice ways in which the content is used. For those of you who are interested in newer ways of portraying profiles, check out Our Story. Your Story > Meet your Customers

Phone customisation taken to new levels with zzzPhone (http://www.zzzphone.com/index.php)
Bored with your phone? Want to stand out from the crowd? zzzPhone has taken a slightly different approach by allowing customers to select their preferred features online and then manufacturing a phone for them within 15 days. Customers can tweak to their hearts’ delight, adding a camera (up to 7 megapixels), GPS, flashlight, stereo speakers, software, a touch screen, upgrading processors and boosting internal memory up to 4 GB. Another nifty feature, and one that most network-bound phones don’t offer, is the option of two SIM card slots, enabling buyers to use two phone numbers or accounts on one phone. The start-up claims to use the same components as major brands like Motorola, Nokia, Palm and Samsung.