5 Tips To Host A Great Virtual or Hybrid Exhibition

Without a clear vision of what you seek to achieve through this virtual exhibition, it will be nothing less than a shot in the dark. Setting the agenda of the event and identifying the KPIs you want to track, count as the primary and most important step for hosting a great virtual exhibition.

Whether the event is aimed at generating leads, getting better revenues, conducting product launches, expanding networking or imparting information among the clients, outlining the objectives of your virtual event can help you make informed and accurate decisions for effectively planning the online event and making it a success.

2. Promote Your Event

You’ve done your research, you know the demographics of the people you want to target. You have planned the content catered to your target audience. But now the question is how to spread the word? How to reach out to the maximum number of people? Here are a few simple yet highly effective tips-

Utilize Keywords

You know the value of keywords in ranking your website on top and reaching the target audience. In a similar vein, include relevant keywords in your content to maximize your event’s reach. Utilize online keyword finding tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahref, Semrush to find the keywords.

Email Marketing

Spread the word about your upcoming event via emails. Send emails with announcements, speakers lineup, exhibitors and sponsors. Offer a sneak-peek of what’s to come to build curiosity.

Social Media Promotion

81% of virtual event organizers now use social media channels to drive registrations. Here are some useful tips to promote your event on social media-

1. Create events in Linkedin and FB and keep track of the people who are going to attend.
2. Use a custom hashtag to create a buzz around your event on Twitter.
3. Create a trailer video to offer a sneak-peek into what’s waiting for the audience. What should be the ideal length of the video? Well, two minutes is the sweet spot according to a recent study.

Bring Influencers

Rope in at least a couple of renowned faces and domain experts for the event to talk about the industry. Influencers bring with them a personal brand image that really helps bring more audience and the right sponsors for the event.

Also Read: Sponsorship and How to Monetize Virtual Events

3. Pick the Right Virtual Exhibition Platform

The virtual event experience relies heavily on the platform you choose. How so? Let’s look at it from three perspectives-

For Attendees

Interactive features such as live reactions, polls, quizzes, and Q&A can help engage the audiences. Additionally, sending push notifications will immediately grab the audiences’ attention.

Networking is one of the most important reasons for attendees to join any business event. So, while choosing the platform check if the platform offers enough scope for networking.

Does the platform allow the option for a one-one chat? Can attendees get on a one-one audio/video call with each other? These are the questions you should ask before choosing the right platform.

More advanced virtual exhibition platforms offer AI matchmaking to speed up the process. Upon entering the required information, attendees will automatically get a list of potential matches.

For Sponsors

How much value your sponsors and exhibitors can derive from the virtual exhibition depends on how much scope they have to build brand awareness, showcase their products and connect with prospective clients.

Does your platform’s virtual lobby have enough space for sponsors’ banners, clickable ads and video ads? If yes, place the most valuable sponsors’ banners in the front to increase their brand visibility and drive more people to their booths.

A product gallery is indispensable to showcase product demos. Additionally, a dedicated e-resource center allows exhibitors to add more product-related information.

Moreover, there should also be a direct communication channel available for the visitors and booth representatives. A meeting scheduler allows interested clients to book meetings with brand representatives.

For Yourself

Data analytics is a crucial aspect you, as an organizer, should pay attention to. The virtual events platform must have an in-built analytics dashboard, that showcases not just the numbers, but also the heatmap, interaction points, how much time was spent on the platform, and which content received more traction.

Armed with the vast amount of detailed data, you’ll be able to understand attendee preferences and make prudent business decisions in the future.

Also Read: Five Features of a Virtual Exhibition Platform

4. Offer Gifts and Exciting Rewards

It’s not just about the interactive and engaging features of the virtual exhibition, but incentivising the audience to attend in the event, in exchange for discounts and coupons, counts for a great marketing strategy.

This can greatly benefit the host organization and boost the attendee participation. Attendees are required to fulfill certain criteria (participating in polls, booking meetings, making connections etc.) to be eligible for rewards.

Names and points of the top-scorers will be displayed on the attendee leaderboard. To spice it up, you can also add a points threshold. The first ‘n’ number of users reaching there will be rewarded with exciting gifts. At Samaaro, you can offer Swiggy coupons and vouchers as rewards to the highest scorers.

Check out how CETAA used gifts and rewards to ramp up audience participation in their event.

5. Rock it Post- Event