As we’re gearing up for Engage 2009, a virtual event for the Intel Software partner Program, I’m wondering what the general consensus is around virtual events. The economic crisis is obviously having an effect on travel and event attendance, but can a face-to-face event be replaced by hundreds or thousands of people sitting in front of their PCs pretending that the avatar on the screen is really there to help them? The jury is out – and I’m looking for a little insight from the jurors.

I’ve been invited to a handful of events, yet I’ve only attended one live – “virtually”. Most of the time, something at work took precedence over logging into the virtual event. Several times I visited after the “live” event, gathering information at my own pace and at a time that suited me better. The only real down side was that there was nobody to ask questions of. I guess the best way for me to participate is to get away from the office (either home or a conference room) and just dedicate myself to the event.

I participated in one event and even though we tried to make it a global event, you just can’t get around the fact that when it’s noon where you’re located, it’s 1:00 am for someone that you want to attend your event. I guess you can’t please all of the people all of the time – even virtually.

So feel free to comment with your thoughts on virtual events – likes, dislikes, experiences and things you’d like to see changed. And if you attend Engage 2009 , stop by the manageability and virtualization booths. I’ll be the live body behind the attractive female avatars.

. Read the rest at Intel.com.