How Do I Exhibit at a Virtual Trade Show?

Three friends broached similar questions recently, so this seemed worth sharing:

• How do we change our trade show approach to fit a virtual format?

• Our lead generation at trade shows has dropped the last couple years. Should we still do them?

• The show format this year isn’t conducive to generating leads. Should we still attend?

Downward trends in trade show attendance and productivity presented challenges even before COVID. And YES, shows are still worth doing! Marketing and lead generation cannot retreat. It is still essential to go where customers congregate and are in a receptive mode. You have to fish where the fish are. We just need to rethink strategies, revisit our objectives, and return to some marketing fundamentals.

Some approaches we have discussed:

1. Stick to things you can do well. I actually heard this from my son’s high school as they were transitioning to remote learning. Don’t get caught up in forcing a bad virtual experience just because the live version worked great in a classroom setting. Similarly, virtual trade shows are more of a different experience than a substitute for live. Of the various formats and technologies being offered, only pursue tactics where you can visualize an engaging and productive interaction with a customer.

2. Go through the attendee list and identify target contacts prior to the event. Do as much research as possible on each target and establish objectives and talking points. If meetings can be scheduled prior to the event, even better. It was never a large number of mediocre leads that made a show a success. It was that small number of great opportunities. Preparation and targeting is even more critical for virtual formats where random “booth traffic” is less reliable.

3. Choose 1 or 2 key messages to communicate. Virtual formats can be a sensory barrage for attendees. Messaging must be focused, clear, brief, and repeated.

4. Tie some simple visual design elements across your content to make it cohesive and comfortable to follow, particularly if a variety of formats are being used.

5. Video webinars. As we are all learning from zoom meetings, content needs to be shorter and more crisp than in a live presentation. A well-organized series of 2-5 minute videos will be more effective than 20 minutes of monotony. Live video is the most engaging, but asynchronous can work as well and allows prospects to access your content after the event.

6. Establish a few key customer personas and create tracks of content for each. This allows an attendee to self-select the content that is most relevant and engaging for them.

7. Use technology to create interactive experiences. I recently worked on a product demo experience using video game technology. These tools are surprisingly adaptable for business.

8. Create intimate and memorable experiences. Perhaps the benefit of attending an event was really to meet existing customers when they were all in one place and in a receptive frame of mind. This is specific to live events, but consider skipping the booth space entirely and spending those dollars on a series of dinners, breakfasts, or fun activities where you bring together interesting small groups of customers.

We are all in the process of figuring out this new reality, so please share any other tactics that have worked for you.