Virtual Trade Shows: Blessing or Curse?

The end of the trade show as we know them

With the pandemic having raged on for more than a year now, all of us have probably been there: A virtual conference, a virtual trade show or a virtual event.

The benefits are more flexibility, less cost, more scalability and modern technologies allowing for face-to-face and peer-to-peer communications. By now, everyone knows that you should wear proper pants when on a conference call, and conferencing tools (webcams, speakerphones etc.) are improving as well. So, is this the end of the trade show as we know them? Because many trade shows

lack meaningful education and a strong content curriculum;
are organized and designed for exhibitors, not customers;
fail to connect the right people in advance;
do not demonstrate ROI to exhibitors;
are product- instead of solution-oriented;
serve trade show and convention center food;
lack tracking technology to monitor traffic capture, duration and conversion.

But looking at virtual trade shows, not everything is rosy either. The pitfalls are:

Poor audience retention
Inconsistent messaging
Inability to measure impact
Lack of engagement
Lack of new business development.

In our very own social media questionaire, we asked participants what they thought about virtual trade shows, and a huge majority, namely 67% said “virtual trade shows are NOT HELPFUL TO MAKE NEW CONTACTS”, and 15% even said they are “painful and no fun”.

Let’s be honest: Our sales guys much prefer the personal contact and fear a virtual show is dull and not very engaging. Especially since people tend to multi-task (which we are not good at) and attend the event while working emails in parallel. But despite our best efforts, we were not successful in engaging people to visit our platform. There was a raffle for people to win a prize, we hosted a unique type of Hüttengaudi, we prepared a nice follow-up for visitors at the booth, and we tried to PR the story before the event. However, people seemed to prefer going to the booth, downloading documents and leaving (without any personal interaction).

How to improve virtual trade shows

Here’s three things we would want any virtual trade show organizer to consider

Allow as much data collection online as in physical environments. Everyone accepts to hand in his/her business card before entering a booth, and it should be the same with email addresses before entering a virtual booth
For networking, be even more creative. A new company from Munich, https://www.meetrella.com/ tested at the largest start-up festival in Europe (Bits & Pretzels), provides an interesting way to network with strangers at an event. It is fun, engaging and very efficient.
For participants and hosts alike: treat virtual trade shows the same way you would treat your physical trade show visit. Don’t double-book your calender, and don’t take calls when you’re in a meeting. Ration your time and be present!

The US market might be more advanced already, with the experience some companies provide being similar to a high-end computer game. The graphics are rich in detail. The ability to interact with others, while virtual, is as normal as a typical video call. Users will experience a lobby, resource center, exhibit hall – everything they experience at a live event. In some instances, it can be more productive than a live event. Ben Chodor, president of Intrado Digital Media, believes, “One of the benefits of virtual tradeshows is that it allows attendees to control the conversation and ask questions, increasing their ability to get the information they want.”

In addition, you can gamify the experience and award prizes for time spent in the exhibit hall, the number of exhibits visited and more. Ultimately, you want to drive more traffic to the sponsor booths. Attendees should be encouraged and incentivized to join social media conversations and experience a virtual event for the people who plan them.

If you want to experience what a virtual event these days should look like, what better place is there to learn than at an event designed just for the people who plan and produce these types of events? Cvent CONNECT is one of the premier conferences for those who plan meetings, conferences, exhibitions and trade shows.

Typically, more than 5,000 people would attend CONNECT, but unfortunately, like all other major conferences, it was forced to cancel its live Las Vegas event and move to a virtual setting, which takes place on May 15, 2021 at a computer near you. There will be plenty of general sessions, breakouts and, of course, an exhibit hall. Even if you’re not in the industry, you can register. And there is no cost. Register for free and take advantage of valuable information you can use as we continue to adapt in today’s world.

We are going to get inspired and we already have plans up our sleeves to surprise you with our latest innovation regarding trade shows. Stay tuned and stay healthy.

Our experiences with virtual trade shows: We tried to fight the boredom of virtual tradeshows with our appearance at Euronics’ KOOP 2021 by staging a “Hüttengaudi” and a surprise guest adding a new flavor to the show (video is available in German only).