Updated- 15th April 2024

Up to spring a lot of stand builders were looking for potential customers in exhibitor lists of exhibitions that take place 4 to 6 months later. Of course, trying to seduce them by choosing their services for the upcoming trade fair.

Many exhibitors will recognize these outbound calls and emails from stand builders and I have been told more than once that people sometimes get crazy from all their (our) efforts.

Shift from live to online

The current landscape has shown a totally different view because of Covid-19. There is a shift from suppliers of on-site exhibition stands (live booths) to online exhibition stands. Or “virtual experiences” as some companies are already calling their virtual offer to their visitor. At the moment it is no other than that. Covid-19 restricted our ways of normal doing here.

And where exhibitors can often brief their stand builder pretty well, the unknown to the virtual bespoke exhibition stand seems to be big. Especially with the possibilities. What are suppliers able to do and how do they do it.

How do you want your virtual booth?

Off course, there needs to be more behind the question above but after a discussion about requirements there is often a silence followed by: “what are the possibilities?”.

And there are a lot of them. Because online you have much easier a lot of the newest techniques to your availability. Although it must be said that at shows such as CES, ISE, and IBC the way technology is shown live is much more impressive.

However, the way a visitor experiences your virtual exhibition stand will not be much different from your live exhibition stand. The platform is different, but it all starts by triggering the attention of the customer in the field of distraction that others are generating.

Attention, attention, attention…..

We all want the attention of the customer. This can be done by the first experience of the booth (different/clean/beautiful/interactive etc.) But shortly after you must make the customer aware of what you actually have to offer. So there must be one single and strong key message you want to send out to him or her.

Where your stand crew is ready to attack the visitor when he is looking at your live booth, the visitor of your virtual booth has to manage all alone at first when he or she enters your virtual experience. Off course, we can offer a chat button immediately, but this is like entering a shop and being asked “how can I help you” before you were able to have a look around.

The key to success remains a strong and clear message

Most comparable to a virtual stand is visiting a website. If you are looking for something and end up at a webpage that does not give clear info and/or prices for what you are looking for you will probably leave as quick as you got on the page. So as mentioned above a clear message and navigation should be visible at once on your online exhibition stand.

A chat button for example, in a lounge area at the back of your virtual booth, will probably not be reached when the info before it is not offering what the visitor is looking for. Offering it immediately without communicating what you are doing has the same effect.

Using the newest technology

There are a lot of technological possibilities in the online environment, that can help the customer to experience products at home. Augmented reality for example is the closest to live experience. Of course, you can use these during live events as well where you have the possibility to engage the visitor to live afterward and ask him how his thoughts about the product are.

But ok, we were talking virtual here.

The same as with live exhibitions you must be cautious about bringing in too much “cool” technology. Just because it is cool does not mean it has merit to the objectives you have with exhibiting virtually at this show.

It is about clear and direct communication and taking care that the message is not lost in all the cool stuff you brought in. You want to have the immediate attention of the customer for what he is looking at and finally engage in person through a video call and maybe later even live at an office.

Slooooowwwlyyy

The biggest danger of the above is that your virtual booth will be operating slowly. And what do visitors of a slow-loading website do? Exactly, they disappear. A fast and smooth-running virtual experience is highly appreciated. People will not wait a couple of minutes for your impressive technology to load. A smooth-running experience is a key to success here.

The first impression must be good as well. Sharp details, close to reality, no deformations, a smooth operation, technology that works immediately after clicking, etc.

No more live events in the future?

The online exhibition stand is the first step of a faster and larger use of virtual techniques as a part of the online marketing toolbox of the marketer. And the current landscape makes the field of exhibitions a fantastic field of play and practice. They will speed up the wider use of these techniques.

Live events will not disappear. But so won’t virtual events. As an on-top event tool, it can and will add value to live events.

Would you like advice on virtual exhibition stands from us?

At Expo Exhibition Stands we have our own design department that has already stepped earlier into virtual techniques. So far we have offered our customers 3D design techniques, but we have stepped up to the next level too. With our background in exhibition stands and the presence of online knowledge, we can definitely help you with a virtual booth all over the world.

We believe that the online experience will be part of our lives in the future. And has added value. You can reach people for example that are unable to travel during the show. Just one example.

Just reach out to us below and leave your contact data. We will contact you soon and at least within 24 hours. Or mention the date and time that is convenient to you. We can show you examples in a video we can set up on our part.