Introduction
Business events like exhibitions and trade fairs have played a vital role in business development and marketing activities in the past; they provide exhibitors with an opportunity to showcase products to potential buyers, generate leads, drive sales and grow their business. In fact, businesses are so dependent on exhibitions/expos that the value of the US B2B trade show/exhibition market was valued at $16.4 billion in 2020.
But for all its advantages, it had a few drawbacks – the major ones being its limited reach and poor ROI (leads generated). Considering the investment in logistics, procurement, bookings, set-up cost and management, the number of people attending these events was considerably low. And this was mainly due to the lack of digitization within the events industry. However, the needle has moved with the advent of virtual events.
However, the primary challenge that exhibitors and sponsors face today is how they can get the same opportunities for brand awareness and lead generation during virtual exhibitions, without the presence of a conference floor or physical stalls.
But First, What Are Virtual Exhibitions?
Today, the idea that you need to be physically present in an exhibition is simply false. The internet provides the leeway to do it all from your home or even on the go.
Virtual exhibitions are exhibitions/expos that take place virtually over the internet, irrespective of where you are in the world and what kind of device you use.
Just like in-person exhibitions have a physical venue, virtual exhibitions too have a virtual venue, packed with full-fledged features that facilitate brand awareness, lead generation and product sales.
In fact, virtual exhibitions have become so popular that they have become the preferred mode of hosting exhibitions, largely due to their global reach and high ROI.
How B2B Exhibitors Are Leveraging Virtual Exhibitions?
In today’s day and age, interconnectivity is at its peak, with the aid of the internet and other technologies. Here are the top 3 ways exhibitors can leverage virtual exhibitions:
Global Reach
Today’s virtual exhibition platforms are empowering exhibitors and sponsors to connect with audiences in every nook and corner of the world. A virtual event can host more than 10 million people at a time. This, in turn, is enabling exhibitors to increase brand visibility, increase lead generation, drive more sales, and in essence, generate great ROI. This is also accompanied by other advantages like cost and time effectiveness, ease of access, access to event data, to name a few.
Lead Generation
Right from the start, wherein participants pre-qualify themselves by registering for the event, to visiting product booths, virtual expos help exhibitors in accelerating the sales cycle. Visitors get the opportunity to explore your service, look at different product demonstrations via product booths, and immediately reach out to exhibitors immediately by simply scheduling a meeting.
Analytics
But perhaps, the most important advantage of hosting a virtual exhibition is access to data. In a world in which data drives decisions, having access to analytics gives exhibitors the advantage of making data-driven decisions. This wasn’t the case with in-person events, where exhibitors hardly had any access to data.
Virtual exhibitions have been a game-changer for the events industry, which have not only enabled exhibitors to weather the storm in the face of covid-induced restrictions and lockdowns, but also turn the tide for the better good.
Virtual Exhibition Example
The world’s largest event organizer in terms of revenue, Informa Markets, recently hosted REIE 2021 – Asia’s largest and most influential expo in the renewable energy space. The E-Expo aimed to provide Manufacturers, EPC Companies, Supplier & Distributors a platform to enhance their brand visibility and connect with buyers from across the world.
The event hosted over 120 exhibitors, and 14K + people from over 110 countries, with upto 1200 leads being generated over the course of 2 days. The virtual expo was hosted on Samaaro- a multi-award-winning virtual event platform based out of India.
About Samaaro
Samaaro is a powerful, customizable & the Best Virtual Event Platform that event organisers around the globe have leveraged to host scalable and engaging events. Our reputed clients have hosted Virtual Exhibitions, Virtual Trade Shows, Virtual summits, Virtual trade shows, Virtual fairs, Virtual conferences, Virtual awards ceremonies, and more on Samaaro. With a plethora of features, such as a powerful analytics dashboard, gamification, one-on-one and group chats/video calls, custom software integrations and more, Samaaro empowers you to host impactful virtual events that effectively connect you with your global audience and achieve business milestones.
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