How many trade shows have you attended this year? If you’re like most, the answer is probably few or none, and that’s because conventional trade shows are expensive and inefficient. That’s where virtual trade shows come in!
Virtual Trade Show Example – Gigabyte
By holding your virtual trade show online, you can reach more attendees for less money than ever before.
This guide will give you the lowdown on the most effective ways to host your virtual trade show, so let’s get started!
What is a virtual trade show?
A virtual trade show is a trade event hosted online. It is a fantastic way to display your products and connect with potential customers.
Attending an actual convention can be difficult and costly, but setting up a booth at home is surprisingly easy.
All you need is a virtual or hybrid event platform with quality cameras and a high-speed internet connection to draw in crowds of people from around the world.
The benefits of virtual trade shows
For B2B hosts, The benefits of virtual trade shows include cost savings for your company, allowing you to hire a freelancer or outsource it completely.
From buyer’s perspective, Virtual trade shows are great for people that can’t travel or might be limited by time constraints. They easily attend these events online.
Virtual trade shows are interactive and fun, allowing you to talk directly with attendees and answer questions about your business or product. Plus, they’re completely cost-effective compared to attending physical conventions! This guide will outline everything you need for a successful experience.
Types of virtual trade shows:
- Car shows
- Niche product shows
- Raw materials and resource shows
- Property shows
- Food and beverage shows
- Technology shows
- Pet shows, pet product sales
- Machinery
How to plan your next virtual trade show
Here’s how you can plan our virtual trade show event up for success.
What business goals do you want to achieve?
Knowing what business goals you want to achieve by attending an online trade show are likely dependent on your business’s needs. If you need leads or new contacts, then meeting with vendors one-on-one is an effective way to find people who can help make that happen. If budgeting is a concern, there’s still plenty of opportunity for getting the word out about your products and services.
Why do you want to organize a trade show?
Why do you want to organize a trade show? That might seem like an odd question because why wouldn’t someone want to hold an event that exposes their business and products directly to target customers? There are numerous reasons for holding a trade show. Some companies choose to do it because they have recently launched or rebranded, while others may just be getting back into business after being dormant for some time.
Get everyone on board with your idea of hosting a virtual trade show
Getting everyone on board with your idea of hosting a virtual trade show can be hard. The best way to do it is to simply start selling, selling, selling. Explain why you want to host a virtual trade show and then sell your vision like crazy. Before you know it, people will be asking how they can get involved.
Find the right virtual trade show platform
Finding the right virtual trade show platform for your company will require a bit of research. Ask colleagues for referrals, do some Google searches, and check out reviews from reputable websites. Make sure you have a list of at least three or four companies that look like they’ll work well with your business. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, request free trials from each of them—and test them out to see which one you prefer using.
Check the list of our virtual event platforms here.
Set up an event plan
Set up an event plan to run your virtual trade show. Plan out all of your content, how it will be delivered, and all information attendees need before they arrive. You can then post additional materials or even reminders after people register for your virtual trade show using online email marketing services like Constant Contact or MailChimp.
Choose a location
Choosing a location for your virtual trade show event production can seem daunting. You have to ensure that you’re choosing a space that is not only equipped with enough space but also has enough bandwidth and hardware to support all of your attendees. This can be challenging if you don’t have on-site IT support or if you don’t work from an office on a regular basis.
Inform your event exhibitors and attendees
Make sure to inform your event exhibitors and attendees about their role in a virtual trade show. Cover information such as: How does a virtual trade show differ from a traditional in-person event? What is required to participate in a virtual trade show? What types of marketing collateral will be needed for a virtual tradeshow? How will traffic be driven to an online exhibition? Why should they participate in an online tradeshow versus other mediums of advertising or marketing outreach?
(Summarize your points with bulleted points).
Make sure everything is ready on production day
Make sure everything is ready on production day . You want to avoid any last-minute delays or complications, especially since you can’t be there in person to oversee it all. Double-check everything—it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Your post-production tasks
Prepare a list of post-production tasks that you need to do for your event. Make sure to also contact vendors about reserving table space at your event or signing up for sponsorship opportunities. If you’re working with live streaming, now is also a good time to reserve equipment and look into how it needs to be set up in order to stream well. You may want to work with sponsors on getting additional promotion through advertisements or link building before launch as well if they haven’t done so already.
Evaluate your virtual trade show results
Finally, evaluate your virtual trade show results. If you’re happy with what you accomplished, pat yourself on the back. If you’re not satisfied with what happened, figure out how to improve upon it next time around. It can be easy to get excited about new technology and opportunities for connecting with people all over the world—and it can be just as easy to let that excitement blind us from realistic expectations of what can happen in a virtual environment versus an in-person setting.
Conclusion
Virtual trade shows are a great way to market a business as you can reach clients from all over without having to spend exorbitant amounts of money on marketing, travel, and lodging. In addition, virtual trade shows save time and allow people who might not be able to attend a physical conference due to location or other restrictions.
