It’s working for the organizers, and associations. It’s working for the attendees. Yet in muted hushed tones under condition of anonymity less they alienate the Industry Associations and their networked friends…virtual trade shows are not working so well for the exhibitors.
Why do attendees like virtual meetings and sponsors and exhibitors are less enthusiastic about the deliverable merits? My hypothesis is based on asking attendees who shared many similar responses. Eliminating health and safety concerns of travel or group meetings. No hotel, travel or meal costs that might not be re-imbursed. Pick and choose the schedule with more flexibility. No “significant other” issues related to travel. Appreciate the business casual online atmosphere.
Despite online scheduling in advance (not going to talk about the real no-show factors), despite investing time and resources for content, advance marketing and online participation during the event…there’s little bang for the bucks. Waiting for someone to interact with Avatars or even worse competing for a click of the mouse to your web booth is frustrating and at times an outright negative experience and a waste of corporate resources
I have worked for show management firms, been an exhibitor and have been a contractor for literally thousands of events……..so I get face to face works. Since that best option is temporarily not fully available, a private corporate broadcast is the next best thing to a well-conceived exhibit strategy. Think about how much information you can present in a tight entertaining 45 minute live broadcast “Road Show” and still have time for real time questions, while your sales team is selling online and lining up the follow-up appointments for after the broadcast. Immediate sales and immediate follow-up because you have a dedicated unique, specifically tailored event. The buyer is not distracted by the virtual event. Do virtual booths or web conferences really equal a higher ROI because they cut down on travel costs? Of course not when you don’t sell product or services.
Firms that dive in with marketing and advertising and customer outreach during the lean times are always better strategically placed for the good times and outperform their competition. No amount of road warrior sales techniques or cold calling from a desk can match the sheer quantities of buyers with real purchasing authority you can engage with in 1 day using a Live Broadcast of a virtual “Road show”…. or compound the numbers into a multi-day live interactive event.
At Atomic Television, we innately grasp and totally comprehend what makes exhibiting and attending a B2B event so rewarding. Daily, we hear firsthand from Exhibitors why convention participation is integral to their company’s sales and marketing efforts. Let our seasoned, Emmy award winning crew and experienced convention savvy marketers show you how to engage your customers and activate real time sales in this challenging environment.
That Live Hybrid Broadcast “Road Shows” outperform virtual trade show booths isn’t a striking revelation to any of us at Atomic Television. Send a text, call, skype or send us an email and we’ll help you achieve success by walking with you step by step and sharing a few tips we’ve picked up along the way about generating immediate sales through virtual broadcast custom environments. Mitch Isaacs, Director, Creative Development mitch@Atomic.tv , 702-415-8108, Atomic Television, Inc.
