The impact of novel coronavirus made in-person events behind the beat as following the social distancing guidelines became a priority. At such tough times, virtual events came to our attention and have become an integral part of every business across the globe.
After the implementation of nationwide lockdown, organizations who never even considered taking their business online solely rely upon virtual event platforms today. And why not? It made them realize how important digital platforms are to reach an outstanding number of attendees at a global scale, maximize profits, find new leads, and much more!
Right from virtual meetings & conferences to virtual exhibitions & fairs, a digital event platform serves all. As the demand for virtual event platforms rises, today, we witness an acute range of platforms delivering virtual event services which might confuse a newbie. And hosting a virtual exhibition on an extensive exhibition platform can be the toughest one in line. It might seem a bit skeptical for exhibitors to convert their entire event into a digital space. But the endless possibilities that a virtual exhibition can deliver are far beyond the reach of in-person events.
Industry exhibitors are also able to engage in interactive exhibits in order to display their products to a worldwide audience. It’s important to use the best virtual expo network to ensure good virtual expos and displays.
Marketers and event managers are currently brainstorming and searching for new ways to engage simulated attendees. On a regular basis, new virtual event interacting capabilities emerge, assisting in the smooth engagement of global delegates. It helps exhibitors to interact and network with attendees from all over the world in real-time.
Virtual Exhibition Introduction
A virtual exhibition is an online event conducted over a web-based extensive virtual event platform. This enables industry exhibitors to showcase their latest product offerings to a wide segment of global attendees. Prospects can seamlessly connect and interact with their interested exhibitor in real-time via live chat, audio/video call functionality. A rich digital platform enables you to host fully customizable virtual booths to attract attendees more effectively.
If you’re planning a virtual fair, a virtual expo, or a virtual show, there are a few important factors to keep in mind. Having the right preparation, policy, and using the right virtual technologies are all important for a good & successful virtual exhibition.
Here have a look at the top 8 key factors that you can integrate to promote a successful virtual exhibition of all time!
1. Know the motive behind hosting a virtual exhibition
Highlight your goals before you begin with the planning of your exhibition. Know why you are hosting a virtual exhibition, is it for revenue generation or you want to generate qualified business leads, is it for displaying your new products to your attendees or you want to engage attendees while delivering vital information. Whatever may the reason be for hosting a virtual exhibition, have a clear perspective beforehand. It will help you deliver more effectively and ensure a successful virtual exhibition.
2. Create an Effective Plan
Move on to virtual event preparation and strategy after the objective of organizing a virtual expo is clear in your mind. Have an appropriate game plan to ensure the effectiveness of the event. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is your online exhibition going to be live, on-demand, or a combination of both?
- Would your online show be password-protected or open to the public?
- What is the protocol for registering?
- How can the simulated exhibition’s visitors interact?
- What features would you like to have in your interactive show that would be interesting to visitors?
- What tool will the guests use to enter the interactive exhibition?
- Will you like to have the option of using a payment gateway? And so on.
Establish effective preparation and policy to host a competitive virtual exhibition after considering all related issues.
3. Choose Right Technology
To host a good virtual expo and exhibitions, you must use the right virtual exhibition platform.
The right platform to use is determined by the business’s expectations and specifications. Aim for a platform that allows you to build custom 3D interactive booths, as well as provide live chat and other engaging features. Attendees may provide one-on-one or group conversations using live audio, video, and text chats. At the same time, interactive features including live polling, surveys, Q&A, gamification, and contests help to keep virtual attendees involved during the event.
The detailed data recording function aids in the collection of all attendee data from the beginning to the conclusion of the case. It then aids in the provision of comprehensive analytics reports and the measurement of performance metrics. In addition, request a demo from a virtual exhibition service provider to learn more about the platform’s capabilities. It will give you a general understanding of how it will help the simulated trade shows and expos.
4. Convenient Content Accessibility
Since you’ve agreed on a virtual exhibition forum to host a virtual exhibition to reach out to global delegates, the next step is to engage them. The main criteria for ensuring the event’s performance are virtual event participation. Enable international delegates to conveniently access content and information at your virtual exhibitions. Allow them to schedule a live virtual appointment and hold one-on-one conversations in virtual booths. At your immersive exhibits, you can specifically identify engaging hotspots. It makes it easier for attendees to find the material that is most important to them. At virtual exhibits, allow attendees to share, import, and revisit files, PDFs, videos, audio, and other material.
5. Engage attendees with easy Navigation
Creating an immersive floor plan in a visually rich virtual world allows international visitors to easily participate and walk around the virtual exhibition space. Attendees can access an exhibitor booth by clicking on the labeled logo stands on the immersive floor design. Attendees will use immersive floor plans to browse all of the exhibitor booths and decide where they want to invest their time & money.
6. Create Immersive Stand Designs to attract attendees
Create eye-catching stand templates to entice and entertain simulated visitors. Decide if your stand concept should be in 2D or 3D at the outset of your interactive show preparation. Make a decision based on the budget, target demographic, and schedule, and provide guests with authentic interactive event experiences.
7. Track Attendee’s move by Digital Footprints
You can keep track of each attendee’s movements using digital footprinting. From the time they signed up? How many people will be there? How did they get around during the event? With whom did they interact? What are the hotspots for engagement? What did they talk about and what did they want, post, download, and vote on? Every last information is recorded on a detailed virtual exhibition platform. It also aids in the production of an analytics report that aids in the assessment of the virtual exhibition’s performance.
8. Offer a follow-up survey
A follow-up survey sent by email is needed to convert the new eligible leads. Request attendees to give useful input on the experience, including what they enjoyed and disliked. It assists you in identifying areas that need change for upcoming activities.
Over to you
When compared to in-person exhibits, online exhibitions offer many benefits. Broader scope, higher turnout, improved involvement and commitment, expanded ROI, more leads, sales, and data tracking are at the top of the list. The right preparation, policy, and technologies are needed for a successful online expo. In short, if you are new to the digital world and are hosting your first virtual exhibition, the considerations mentioned above will assist you in hosting a successful virtual exhibition.