Ever since the global coronavirus shutdown of all congresses, trade fairs and other live communication events, companies have had to completely realign their marketing strategies. Solutions for this come from the digital world: showrooms and roadshows.
It is not only the digital transformation with all its requirements and possibilities that must now be incorporated into the “real trade fair world”. Challenge: How can trade fair exhibitors reconcile virtual and digital marketing with a basic human need: personal contact, human proximity and the fact that purchasing decisions require emotional stimuli?
Hybrid in-house exhibitions and roadshows are a clear trend. In this blog, we suggest how to combine efficient face-to-face live communication with digital and virtual marketing concepts. Goal: Your customers are your fans. Your customers buy your product or service.
1 Why are showrooms and roadshows so important?
2 Advantages of a real showroom
3 Advantages of a real roadshow
5 Conclusion on showrooms and roadshows
In various blog articles, we have shown how digital and virtual marketing tools can be combined with real trade fair events: Virtual trade fair tours, virtual trade fair stands and virtual trade fairs and seminars as a hybrid supplement to real events are already standard tools and they will remain so even after the corona crisis. Because they have proven themselves. In addition to the efficient price-performance ratio, they are particularly effective in closing leads.
Virtual marketing solutions are conceivable as a short-term replacement for canceled trade fairs or congresses. In the last few weeks of the corona shutdown, many companies have organized virtual trade fair tours, virtual trade fair stands and virtual trade fairs, as well as virtual showrooms and roadshows online as a substitute for a real trade fair. The result was basically positive, but the participants clearly lacked personal face-to-face contact.
The customer is human, corona or not, people like emotions, personal contact, simply the salt in the soup....
The coronavirus restrictions are now easing and trade fairs will take place again in 2022 at the latest. Future trade fairs will take great care to ensure that social distancing etiquette is observed. However, no one knows how the coronavirus issue will develop in the future. Will the planned trade fair take place? Will exhibitors and competitors also be present when the trade fair takes place? Will visitors come to the trade fair? What about visitors from overseas and travel permits? Will there be a second shutdown?
In the context of canceled trade fairs and congresses and the contradictory slow relaxation, in-house trade fairs and roadshows are coming to the fore.
In your headquarters showroom, you can present your unique selling points - preferably in the form of an exhibition stand.
The corporate design of a showroom underlines and enhances the overall corporate identity.
A showroom can have a permanent presence and can be easily redesigned for new developments.
Social distancing: It is very easy to adhere to the required netiquette in your own showroom: Targeted and reduced invitations by appointment in conjunction with the standards such as disinfectant, spit protection etc.
A showroom is used to visually present the vision, mission and goals of a company. Such “cockpits or future labs” are particularly common in companies with several locations. The showroom can be used to present products that are difficult to explain in a way that is easy to understand and experience. These cockpits support both the internal identity, vision and value culture in the company and the potential customer.
Integration of the real corporate architecture into the marketing campaign.
A showroom can be integrated into digital marketing strategies to great advertising effect. Combination of live and virtual communication see also point 4 Combination of real and virtual presentation.
All the advantages of the showroom mentioned above also apply in principle to roadshows.
As a rule, the roadshow is realized using a suitable vehicle that is converted accordingly. However, a small pop-up exhibition stand that is set up at the customer's premises is also conceivable. This means that the customer does not have to come to the spot himself, but is visited.
Depending on the presentation and product, a roadshow can be used to advertise not only to trade visitors, but also to “random visitors”, e.g. at supermarkets or public places.
The reach of showrooms is significantly increased when they are combined with digital campaigns.
Use the hybrid showroom for press conferences.
Social media campaigns and direct customer contact can be used to draw attention to the hybrid showroom or roadshow tour in advance. Smart integration of the real roadshow into the digital world generates content and thus the interest of (potential) customers. Competitions, announcements and countdowns are tools that accompany content.
Communicating content via videos is already a very common marketing variant that is effectively integrated into the hybrid showroom: In addition to the exclusive showroom ambience, a small studio only requires a green screen and possibly a counter. And the perfect scene for a virtual in-house exhibition is created. But a real background scene is also possible, depending on how the showroom is equipped. Your presentation can be available via video streaming in “now time”, but also permanently via video.
In a livestream, the event is recorded with a camera and streamed “live”. Either by invitation via a video performance (e.g. Zoom) via a website or via open channels, e.g. YouTube or Facebook. If the event is recorded on video, all online channels are also permanently available 24/7.
A hybrid solution, i.e. inviting “real” guests to the company for a presentation and streaming it at the same time, is the fine art of live marketing. Here, interaction plays a key role in the presentation: panel discussions and interviews alongside product advertising, live chats and online forms are integrated into the event. However, professional preparation with a script and direction is advisable.
Aftermovie: A presentation in the showroom is recorded and can also be viewed permanently on the Internet after the event.
Depending on market requirements, the weighting of the two areas “live” or “virtual” can be varied. This increases the certainty that the marketing performance is effective.
Lead generation via CRM integration and chat function significantly reduce the costs per lead.
In times of cancelled trade fairs and congresses, smart solutions are needed to generate leads.
A showroom is the corporate architecture of your company.
A roadshow enables you to present directly to your customers.
The mix of real and virtual marketing strategies generates a very high reach for the product.
Business transactions become measurably more favourable as the costs per lead are reduced.
Dr. Christian Coppeneur-Guelz : Sunday, 4. September 2022
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