No one can see the future with certainty, but many wonder or predict what does the future of trade shows holds? Almost all businesses are started to transition their business into remote operations and changed the way they interact with clients and customers. Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to change their behaviours. One among them is the virtual trade show industry. The pandemic shift has decimated the trade show organizers, yet as an industry, we still need trade shows.
But, what are trade shows for?
Trade shows are the superheroes of marketers because it provides ample opportunities for brands and customers to connect face-to-face in a physical environment. In addition to this, trade shows allow companies to promote their product or services to the target audience where customers are actively searching for them.
However, once the covid-19 swept across the globe, trade shows and exhibit spaces become dark, silent, and empty. Will the trade shows return to their former glory? Let’s see!
Virtual trade shows are the only solution for content-driven trade show programs. Happy ending right? Not so far. Yes, some groups of event professionals think that virtual won’t be a natural extension of their trade show organizers. Why? Here are a few reasons to consider.
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Reason Why Event Professionals Did Not Find Virtual To Be a Natural Extension of Trade Shows?
- Trade shows generally encounters connection between attendees and exhibitors. Attendees can just walk around the show floor, look at the products or services that attract them most, watch a demo and ask questions to the sales representatives. So, it’s a very interactive environment. Does the virtual trade show booth exhibit the same?
- In-person trade shows attract thousands or sometimes hundreds of thousands of people in a specific industry. The trade shows are generally considered business festivals and it merely attracts more target audience. Will virtual trade shows be able to attract a target audience?
- The trade show event is a straightforward one that charges exhibitors to expose thousands of attendees who in turn receive a free or subsidized registration. Will, it happens virtually?
See, the above three elements are the core drivers to making a tradeshow event a successful one. Along with this, event professionals touted that expo areas provide terrific features to support content-driven programs. They offer sponsors, activation opportunities, engagement, insights, and more.
So, as a result, many event organizers think that digital technology doesn’t recreate the environment needed for trade shows to flourish. This dissatisfaction makes many trade show organizers to felt – “the industry started to fracture”.
Let’s not worry anymore, all your options can also be done virtually even in a better way. New opportunities are available in handy that push trade show organizers to rethink their strategy in 2022 and beyond.
Future of Trade Show Industry – Rethink Your Strategy Now:
1) Technology Will Be a King
Technology will touch virtually every aspect of your program in the future. Some may have already started to utilize interactive experiences like AR and VR these days. Tools like badge scanners, customized apps, and tablet kiosks have changed the way we interact with attendees. In the future, just imagine your booth staffers with internet-enabled glasses and earpieces where they can scan an attendees badge once they enter the show.
More technology is on the desk. Yes, the product demonstration will take place in a theatrical flair with technological support like 3D simulations, interactive screens, pre-recorded options, and more. Imagine gaming to be conducted in an exhibitor’s booth.
With all those futuristic technologies in mind, the virtual trade show itself should be completely rethought and many more virtual trade show strategies are waiting in a queue to hit success.
2) Experience Virtual & Hybrid Event Trade Shows
In response to the pandemic, it seems like many trade shows went virtual and this will continue to be the status quo. According to the Event Outlook Report, almost 93% of the event organizers are planning to invest in virtual event strategies this year. The same study also touted that 97% of the event markets see drastic growth in hybrid events – take place a balance between both the in-person and virtual trade show experiences.
So, what makes this a replacement for the in-person trade show events? Let’s see.
Traditional marketing highlights like banners, logos, and signs are not going to cut out even in the virtual event. Attendees are inundated with the promotional jargon everywhere around the trade shows. Your companies are going to get more creative event space and you may even include many branding elements to make you stand out from the queue.
Along with this, you may even utilize a 3D virtual lobby, a 3D virtual exhibition hall, a product display to market your products to a larger audience, and a secure shopping cart solution that enable buyers to order products instantly from the vendor’s website.
You may even provide other features like a virtual trade show booth, video conferencing with booth staff, a social lounge for one-on-one-meets, and incorporate gamification to create a fun and memorable experience.
Gain complete access & real-time visibility for virtual fairs & hybrid fairs offered by HexaFair – The no. 1 platform to conduct a 3D virtual trade show where exhibitors and visitors from the industry meet up to exchange information, services, and trends.
3) Live Streaming is the Future of Trade Shows
Nowadays, live streaming is becoming the future of the trade shows industry because it delivers real-time interaction and engagement for an elevated audience experience. The main key point or advantage of the live event is, that people could easily see how unique the online event is and thus they will buy tickets for your future live editions.
4) Use the Power of Artificial Intelligence
Generally, people tend to gravitate toward things that match their interests and needs. So, to give the best-in-class trade show experience to attendees, exhibitors need to check attendee’s likes and needs. With the help of attendees’ social media likes, interests, and buyer persona, AI can help to deliver relevant content to the right people.
One such example of AI integration is, “chatbot & digital translation”. The chatbot will help attendees to get relevant information by interpreting words given by the user. While the voice translations enable the attendee to listen to your trade show content in their language. So, harness the power of the best virtual trade show platform from Hexafair.
Wrapping Up
Whether we realize it or not, the trade show exhibiting is constantly evolving and screaming for a reset. Position yourself up for the future of trade shows with new tools and new plans. Let’s stay on top of the latest trends and enable your business to stand out from the crowd.
Join hands with HexaFair and give a strong comeback in 2022. Explore all the tools and services you need to start, promote, conduct, and measure your Virtual Tradefair now. Request a demo of our platform or contact our technical support team for further assistance.