The community cannot be broken. Even as we respect each other’s personal space, we are committed to uniting in a common cause. We can reopen the economy while also being socially responsible and communally healthy.
Gathering places are important, and together we must rise to the challenge of reconfiguring them to assemble productively and creatively. Trade shows provide an excellent opportunity to lead by example with innovation and compassion.
CUTTING OUR LOSSES
Event planning is all about timing. When the novel coronavirus shut down venues for a mere two weeks, headlines were already bemoaning the loss of massive revenue. The cancellations of SXSW, E3, and Mobile World Congress alone tallied economic woes north of one billion dollars.
And then the situation only worsened.
Weeks turned into months, and the outlook for the expo industry resembled a gathering storm of doubt and dismay. In April of 2020, a staggering 72% of suppliers estimated that their annual revenue would plummet by over half due to the pandemic. 60% of planners echoed these predictions, solidifying the theory and sending consumer confidence into a downward spiral.
DIGITAL SILVER LININGS
Despite the gloomy 2020 springtime forecasts, the show had to go on. Zoom calls became the industry vernacular, and video conferences flooded our fiber optics to supplement our need to convene. In fact, Zoom’s stock reported a 200% increase in 2020, and the year is only half over.
Now, we know what you’re thinking: but nothing is more powerful than face-to-face interaction. We agree, and we apologize for reading your mind (so rude). But there are ways to leverage the personal touch in an online realm.
First of all, harness the power of demographics. If you were creating a trade show booth, you would consider your core audience while crafting its design. Are you marketing to millennials, GenZ, boomers, or all of the above? It may be difficult for an exhibit to be all things to all consumers, but video conferencing allows differentiation and specialization. Schedule one Zoom event for the younger demographic, another for the older consumer group, and change up your messaging for each.
For example, if you harvested half of your leads from Facebook and the other half from Instagram, you can assume these audiences have varied perspectives. Send out two different invites to each unique social media audience. The Insta virtual event can be image-driven like a digital scrapbook come to life. Hours later, you can invite your Facebook audience and hone your message to their specific appetites.
By acknowledging the diversity of online platforms, you can get granular with your message and generate the most from your leads.
CELEBRATE NEW TECHNOLOGY
We’ll be the first to admit it: online teleconferencing is relatively new to us. The Internet is a wonderland of possibilities and pitfalls, so be sure you are on the right side of technology or else you might get burned.
Case in point: Mrs. Potatohead. Have you heard about this woman? She is the CEO who accidentally triggered an online filter and transformed herself into a spud for the entirety of a conference call. It may have been an accident, or it may have been a stroke of genius. After all, we’re still talking about her. That’s some delicious word of mouth!
Don’t get caught with your potato skins in a bunch. Research the technology you’ll be using and make the most of it. Zoom has a series of pre-loaded filters from which to choose, so you can contact your clientele from Paris, the moon, or the ocean floor. Choose the virtual setting that best suits your product and own your cyberspace!
Better yet: work with your graphics team to create a custom backdrop. Brand your virtual realm just as you would conceive a trade show booth. Every nook tells a story and every cranny provides valuable insights.
SYNERGY NOW!
Have fun with your foray into video conferencing. Host a Zoom murder mystery or invite your valued clients to play an industry-centric game of trivia. Dole out prizes, just as you would at a physical trade show. Most importantly: don’t squander that momentum.
Once you have caught people’s attention online, push it into the real world. Save your virtual Zoom backdrop and recreate it for your next expo booth. It will show a synergy or intention and design as if you had been planning for this series of events all along!
The more your online brand can echo your next trade show presentation (and vice versa), the more cohesive your campaign will be. Don’t dwell on the limitations of our shared pandemic predicament, but also don’t ignore it. Acknowledge people’s yearning to reconnect and be sure to deliver with a sense of positivity, precision, and passion.
For example, to emphasize the need for social distancing, be creative with your spacing protocols. Don’t merely mark off six-foot increments with a swatch of duct tape; use your logo and some clever messaging. “How’s the weather in your six-foot space?” Give attendees conversation starters to break the proverbial ice and get them focused on the new normal. They can respect others from a safe distance, chat about what they hope to experience at the front of the line, and they have YOU to thank for facilitating this post-pandemic interaction.
To add a layer of innovation to the proceedings, you can have a camera filming your queue and project everyone in line on a jumbo screen atop your booth. Insert the images of your guests interacting six feet apart onto a fun, interactive digital canvas. Remember how Zoom created those backdrops (Paris, the moon, the ocean floor)? Use the same setting you triumphed online for this in-person display. Keep your narrative going from quarantine to reopen.
After all, your clients crave a great story. Tell it with gusto, and put your consumers front-and-center in the action. To drill down on how we can collaborate on the next phase of trade show mastery, contact the experts at Unveil Production Group.