Want to generate some potential leads? Then industry events such as fair trade festivals offer excellent opportunities to members of a particular industry to flaunt their products. Because such events not only enable attendees to network with like-minded professionals in the industry but also help them bag some connections on their way back home. ‘International trade shows’ has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? I know why. Because it is the single most effective channel to access foreign markets and eyeball your competitors.
Now you want the company representatives from all around the world to display, demonstrate, and discuss their latest products and services in your event but unfortunately, you are hosting from the other side of the globe, how can you assure maximum turn out rate? This is where virtual staging comes into play. In online trade fair events, you can have an almost unlimited reach as opposed to in-person attendance. Problem solved.
Moreover, through a virtual platform, you can quickly bring together trade experts, professionals, small/ large business owners, and product enthusiasts; all looking through a bunch of newly arrived car models. Sounds convenient, isn’t it?
Hosting ‘eco-friendly’ fair trade festivals
Apart from accessibility and major cost advantages such as the omission of travel and accommodations expenses, virtual fair trade festivals can bring a greater benefit to climate change. The climate crisis has been threatening our ecosystem for decades now with frequent, devastating impacts on livelihoods and communities. According to recent news by the Guardian, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon released nearly 20% more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over the last decade than it has absorbed.
Limited global travel
Similarly, global travel is one of the major contributing factors to human-caused climate change. In this time of global warming traveling through air or highways is unsettling. Prohibiting transport is out of the question because it is our way of life now but the least we can do is downsize it by organizing virtual events and fairs. Online events will significantly reduce travel and carbon emissions. Simultaneously enabling people to remotely engage and interact with their trade business of interest.
Paper waste prevention
Apart from that, 100 million trees are destroyed each year to make paper, and 10 liters of water is used in the creation of 1 sheet of A4 paper. In case of physical events, this paper is then used to print marketing materials; such as brochures, guidebooks, name tags, disposable foodware, etc.
Speaking of which, the trade show industry is the second largest industry to produce the most amount of waste; paper being on top leading to drastic environmental impacts. Since the manufacturing paper itself releases nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide into the air, contributing to pollution such as acid rain and greenhouse gases. Therefore, virtual trade fairs help prevent the use of paper to reduce the number of trees being cut down every year since every resource material from leaflets to white papers can be accessed online.
Do you have an upcoming trade fair on your schedule? Use virtual platforms to engage your target audience and make the most out of it without damaging your environment.
Recommended: How to host a virtual event
Making virtual fair trade festivals an online success
Virtual trade fair festivals can be challenging to pull off in the case of both industry and consumer fairs; because of their distinct interests but with the right set of tools and features, you can achieve it. All you need to do is to keep your audience engaged through immersive experiences, gamification, and other related activities such as conferences and exhibitions.
Virtual 3D demonstrations
Offer an immersive experience to your attendees from the moment they step in until they step out through customizable and visually compelling landing pages with 3D virtual lobbies, help desk, booths for exhibitors to showcase their products, and auditoriums to conduct live conferences. This well-crafted and personalized branding can help you retain and excite your attendees through noticeable visual appeal.
Virtual cart options
In the case of consumer trade shows, the virtual cart option is a great way to generate sales. Product catalogs are showcased along with their prices and description. This allows potential buyers to instantly purchase an item and make on-the-spot transactions without any delay or fear of scams.
Live chat for networking
Through in-built text, video, and audio chat tools trade businesses can seamlessly build relationships with people of interest ultimately leading to conversion, high satisfaction rate, better efficiency, and ROI. Additionally, with group chat options representatives can engage multiple prospects at a time by answering questions and concerns in real-time.
Content sharing
Virtual fair trade festivals are usually built on content, therefore, exhibitors can easily showcase their company’s visual elements through the platform such as brochures, guide books, posters, videos, keynote presentations so on and so forth. This downloadable content will allow prospects to keep it safe for future reference; in case they decide to take up any offer, after the event.
Insights into visitors
Virtual event hosting platforms offer easy access to real-time attendee; data such as their buying behaviors and product demand; which, then, companies can leverage to launch special promotional campaigns after the event to make potential buyers keep coming back. In addition, organizers can examine the performance of their event through smart reports right from the dashboard panel to improve their next trade show for optimal results.
Online webinars & conferences
Live webinars and keynote presentations can help industry leaders to engage their global audience. Through virtual conferences, they can familiarize potential sponsors with their products, value addition, and proposition to secure powerful investment. Moreover, live webinars and conferences can cater to masses at a time regardless of the time zone. Additionally, a Q&A session at the end of each webinar encourages two ways of communication and offers a great way to connect with the audience as it gives them a chance to speak up, and share their opinions.
The bottom line
Trade shows are a great way for businesses to showcase their products. Either it’s a food trade show or a car show, virtual fairs can help exhibitors to gather convertible leads from all across the world through a truly exceptional experience and maximize their profits. Since virtual is the new normal, from accessibility and inclusivity to travel and waste prevention, virtual fair trade festivals are the only way forward.
