Virtual trade shows are becoming an increasingly popular way to connect with potential customers. A virtual trade show is a live, real-time event where participants can interact directly with one another and the presenters via computer connections. The idea of a virtual trade show has been around for awhile but recent advances in technology have made it more affordable and easy to pull off than ever before. Virtual trade shows offer many benefits such as: saving money on venue costs, reaching out to more people without having to go through expensive advertising campaigns, and using new technologies that allow for interactive presentations from anywhere in the world.
However, if not done properly you may end up spending more time fixing problems instead of actually showing your products or services to interested parties. Here are 5 secrets on how to fix your virtual trade show.
Interact and Participate
A virtual trade show can be kind of dry and boring. It’s not the same as having an actual in-person event, because it lacks that live component where people are actually talking to each other face to face with real voices. Try giving your webinars a more lively feel by including polls or Q&As so attendees get their opinions heard too. That way they’ll have something interesting to talk about afterward even if they weren’t able to make it this time around.
Set up Breakout Groups
Virtual reality may be isolating, but small-scale breakouts can help. You might think that the bigger a conference is, the more networking you’ll get done because of sheer numbers–but if it’s not an intimate setting with breakout groups or workshops, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd especially with events with more than 100 people in attendance. 10 to 20 person sessions could provide attendees even better opportunities for connecting.
Content Matters
You want to keep your audience interested from start to finish. To do this, make sure the content is short and sweet; 20 minutes is the sweet spot and should be enough time for them not to get bored before they can find value in what you have on offer.
Audiences must be entertained
To build excitement at a virtual trade show, it is important to organize games and other entertainment to keep your audience entertained. You can also incentivize action by advertising the winning prize before kicking off any of these activities. For more energy during break time, consider hosting a short concert with celebrities or cameos from influencers.
Attractive Designs
Attendees of virtual trade shows are often powerless to explore their surroundings. By adding in animated 3D designs, life-like settings and more personalized avatars that reflect the actual event attendees can better relate to what’s happening at a distance. One step in making this happen is by maximizing space within the lobby area upon entering an exhibition so there is a feeling of freedom for those exploring it on screens from afar or up close when they finally visit live events themselves.
The events industry is always evolving and so are event audiences. To keep up with the times, embrace change by following these steps to further engage your audience members.
