The thought of getting customers sitting at home is no more just a dream. Online virtual trade show platforms have made it a reality. These platforms provide a dynamic 3D environment to the attendees giving them the feeling of attending a physical event. But, hosting a virtual trade show can be confusing and tiresome. This article will tell you about all the steps that must be followed to host your next virtual trade show.?
Know Your Audience
The topic of your virtual trade show defines the nature of your target audience. Along with the audience, you must also find out their problems, needs and requirements. Try to focus your event agenda on their needs. Also, tell the attendees about the benefits of your products and services and how they can help meet their needs. Virtual trade shows help educate people about the new product and service offerings.
Find the Right Virtual Event Solution
While you might think otherwise, finding the right virtual event platform plays a crucial role in making your virtual event a grand success. Remember that there are various virtual event platforms to choose from. Therefore, know what you need before going on a platform research spree. Also, do thorough research. Explore all the features provided by the platforms and match them with your requirements. This will help you make an informed decision and select the best online virtual trade show platform for hosting your virtual trade show.
Include These Features
Provide advanced engagement and networking features to keep up the attendee attention levels at all times. While looking for a 3D virtual event platform, make sure that it provides these features –
Customization
Make sure that the platform you select provides you with a fully customizable environment for your trade show. What could be better than being able to customize your virtual booth, include your favourite designs, colours and icons? Customization allows you to create your virtual booths. Moreover, it allows you to edit every detail including button size, shape and colour. It also provides tips for virtual trade show booths.
Live Polls
Engagement is the key to the success of any event and live polls are a great way to boost engagement and interaction. Therefore, look for a virtual trade show platform that provides you with the live polls feature. Live polls help establish two-way communication and allow the attendees to speak their minds.
Gamification
The attention spans of people tend to be shorter while attending events virtually. Gamification helps increase engagement among the attendees. Some online platforms also allow you to include a leaderboard challenge to add an extra fun element. Therefore, gamification should be a feature of the virtual event platform you select.
Customer Support
Delays in the event due to technical glitches can result in a rise in the attendee drop-off rate. While looking for a platform, consider live customer support as a must-have feature. This will help ensure that the customers do not drop off in between the event and get a great event experience.
Create a Budget and Set a Timeline
Once you have identified the requirements of your trade show, the next step is to create a task list. In addition to that, set a timeline for each task on the list. Make sure that the timeline is realistic. This will also help you create a budget for your trade show. Furthermore, knowing your budget will help you select the right virtual trade show platform.
Promote Your Virtual Trade Show
However, planning a virtual trade show is important, promoting it is equally important to make it successful. You can include your sponsors and ask them to get the word out within their social circle. Additionally, you can create dedicated event pages and constantly post promotional content on them. Although you might feel that email marketing is outdated, it is one of the most effective ways to promote your virtual trade show.
Get Good Speakers Onboard
A great speaker or moderator plays an important role in boosting engagement among the attendees. Therefore, rope in a great speaker and ask him to rehearse for the trade show well before the actual event. Rehearsing beforehand will help you avoid any hassles during the actual event.
Understand Your Security Requirements
Virtual trade shows are highly vulnerable to security disruptions. To avoid any security breach and leakage of confidential information, make sure you look for a virtual trade show platform that provides advanced security features like attendee access control.
Focus on Content Quality
The quality of content you post both before the event and during the event plays a vital role in the success of your event. Focus on providing your target audience with good quality and value-adding content.
Use Data Analytics to Measure ROI
Analyzing the real-time event data helps measure the success of the event. Therefore, before selecting a virtual event platform, see if it provides advanced, real-time data analytics features.
Summing Up
This article must have helped you get an insight into how you can get new customers from the comfort of your home. Explore all the platform features in detail before making your choice.
As the editor of the blog, She curate insightful content that sparks curiosity and fosters learning. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, she strive to bring diverse perspectives and engaging narratives to readers, ensuring every piece informs, inspires, and enriches.
