Chicago, IL -- (SBWire) -- 05/21/2013 --INXPO partner One Smooth Stone, Inc. received a coveted 2013 Ex Award for Best 100% Virtual Event. An event and communication agency based in Downers Grove, Illinois, One Smooth Stone received the honor at the 11th annual Ex Awards Gala at the 2013 Event Marketing Summit.

One Smooth Stone received the award for their work on the McDonald’s USA, LLC Mid-Manager Business Meetings Initiative, a series of 100% virtual events attended by 7,000 mid-managers within McDonald’s US franchisees and corporate employees. The virtual events ran on INXPO’s industry leading online events platform and utilized INXPO’s webcasting platform, XPOCAST.

The Mid-Manager Business Meetings included general sessions, learning sessions and exhibits. The learning sessions were 5-10 minute videos from subject matter experts, which provided digestible, bite-sized units of content to attendees. An exhibit area allowed each attendee to explore resources and download materials associated with upcoming initiatives and engage in meaningful dialogue with subject matter experts.

“Leading with a strong business strategy, McDonald’s leveraged the power of online technology to its fullest which is now providing a way to reach an audience more consistently and effectively,” said Gary Vlk, Executive Vice President at One Smooth Stone.

“Our online events platform provides organizations with a single, branded destination to sustain thoughtful and engaging business communications inside the firewall, with the industry’s most secure and scalable technology,” said Scott Kellner, CMO at INXPO.

The Mid-Manager business meetings included live video and social interactions, allowing mid-managers to interact with content and provide instant and continuous feedback on the programming. The meetings were an enormous success with mid-managers: 90% said the presentations provided them with information that helped them do their job and another 90% said they would recommend the online meetings to other mid-managers.

About INXPO
INXPO has changed the way companies communicate to both internal and external audiences by combining the benefits of traditional broadcasting and webcasting mediums with the power of social media tools, resulting in three product offerings: Webcasting, Online Events and Social Business TV. The company helps brands of all sizes to interact with employees, customers, prospects and partners in a social environment that creates two-way dialogue and measures the impact of the communication. Founded in 2004, INXPO has delivered nearly 3,000 social business broadcasts worldwide for brands including Autodesk, Cisco, Freeman, George P. Johnson, Hilton, HIMSS, P&G, PCMA, TechTarget, UBM and the U.S. Department of State. The company is headquartered in Chicago. Additional information can be found at www.INXPO.com and on Twitter at @INXPO.

Scott Kellner
INXPO
312-962-4878
skellner@INXPO.com

About One Smooth Stone, Inc.
As an event and communication agency, One Smooth Stone helps companies build relationships critical to the success of their business through expertly crafted programs and events. Founded in 1995, their event strategy & consultation, technical expertise and on-site precision have been the core of their success. An early adopter of online event technology, One Smooth Stone has been an INXPO channel partner since 2009 allowing them to offer a unified event strategy including both physical and digital venues to global brands including McDonald’s, Hyatt Corporation, OfficeMax, Gartner, BMC Software and Iron Mountain. The company is headquartered in Downers Grove, IL. Additional information can be found at www.onesmoothstone.com.

Gary Vlk
One Smooth Stone, Inc.
630-427-4222
gvlk@onesmoothstone.com