Sonic Foundry Event Services Partners with Key Meeting Services Players to Launch Hybrid Event Webinar Series


Free, live webinars will get event professionals up to speed fast on virtual and hybrid event strategies and tactics

MADISON, Wis., Jan. 20, 2011 - Sonic Foundry, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOFO), the recognized market leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management, today announced a partnership with Global Events Partners, Krisam Group, IEP and Maritz Travel, in producing a free webinar series, The Nuts and Bolts of Virtual Events.

The four-part series aims to give meeting planners a complete overview for planning hybrid and virtual events, including choosing the right technologies, the reasons to explore virtual and an in-depth review of meetings that have done it right.

Lynn Randall, strategic event consultant for Maritz Travel, will lead the four-part webinar series, beginning with today's "Virtual Meeting: Does It Meet Your Business Objective." Randall has recently spoken at Virtual Edge Summit 2011 and MPI's World Education Congress 2010, and leads Maritz' consulting practice, with more than 20 years of marketing services, corporate event and communications experience.

"We wanted an opportunity to educate our partners, clients and the meeting community on what it takes to add a hybrid or virtual element to their meeting. Whether they're seasoned meeting planners or new in the industry, there are a lot of misconceptions and uncertainty related to virtual meetings. This series will give participants a starting point to successfully execute a hybrid meeting, and give them a deeper understanding of the technologies available," said Jim Schultenover, President of Krisam Group. "We couldn't be more excited to launch this series with the best-of-breed meeting consultants, producers and technology providers."

Part 1: Virtual Meeting: Does It Meet Your Business Objectives -
Thursday, January 20
In this hybrid meetings 101 session, find out what business cases are
best for hybrid and virtual events and how it will impact your role
as an event professional.

Part 2: Building Your Strategic Game Plan - Wednesday, February 23
Learn the first steps to enhance the attendee's experience, the costs
and benefits involved, and opportunities for creating a revenue
stream.

Part 3: Learn from the best - Wednesday, March 23
Examine case studies from three different sized events where hybrid
approach was applied.

Part 4: Don't Let the Technology Scare You - Thursday, April 21
Join Lynn and panelists from IEP & Sonic Foundry, as they walk
through the many different technology options available to conduct
virtual meetings.

The webinars will be webcast by Sonic Foundry's Event Services, a leading provider of webcasting for blended conferences and hybrid events. The group supplies technical webcasting services and expertise to organizations who seek to complement their conference or event with viewing over the web. Since its launch in January 2007, the Event Services group has provided live and on-demand webcasting for clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations and university associations to sporting events and charitable organizations.

About Global Events Partners (GEP)

Global Events Partners celebrates 12 years on the leading edge of the DMC industry. Established in 1999, the partnership now includes more than 65 leading destination management companies (DMCs) serving over 92 destinations worldwide. A DMC is a professional services company possessing extensive local knowledge and resources, specializing in the design and execution of group tours, transportation, events, activities and program logistics. GEP partners provide consistently high quality DMC services in the most desirable locations worldwide. Thanks to affiliations with sister company, Krisam Group--the top independent national sales office for hotels and resorts worldwide--and leading production company IEP, GEP offers a unique "one-stop" solution for corporate meeting planners worldwide. www.globaleventspartners.com.

About IEP

IEP professional consultants in the Event Industry. For over 15 years IEP has worked with Fortune 500 companies, Associations, Governmental Agencies and Non-Profits. IEP is a Full-Resource, Award-Winning Production company providing Event Consultation, Creative Services, Audio, Video, Lighting, Audiovisual services and Headline Entertainment. www.iepevents.com

About Krisam Group

Krisam Group, a membership organization since 1975, is the top national sales company representing over 240 independent and 4 & 5-Diamond hotels and resorts, as well as the leading advocate and service provider for meeting planners. Krisam represents properties in over 20 countries, including landmark urban hotels, leisure destinations, beachfront resorts and event locations for groups of 10 to 10,000. For more information on Krisam Group, please visit www.krisam.com.

About Sonic Foundry®, Inc.

Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, www.sonicfoundry.com) is the global leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management, providing enterprise communication solutions for education, business and government. Powered by Mediasite, the patented webcasting platform which automates the capture, management, delivery and search of lectures, online training and briefings, Sonic Foundry empowers people to transform the way they communicate. Through the Mediasite platform and its Event Services group, the company helps customers connect a dynamic, evolving world of shared knowledge and envisions a future where learners and workers around the globe use webcasting to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance.

SOURCE Sonic Foundry, Inc.

CONTACT:

Tammy Kramer of Sonic Foundry, Inc.,

+1-608-237-8592,

tammyk@sonicfoundry.com

Web Site: www.krisam.com

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