Successful trade fairs after Corona

The coronavirus pandemic has really put a spanner in the works for exhibitors at trade fairs and congresses. Agile companies have reacted quickly and adapted their marketing strategy as far as possible or tried out alternative marketing formats. But what will trade fairs look like after the coronavirus break?

In addition to the well-known (and not always the worst, by the way) push campaigns, virtual trade fair stands, virtual trade fairs and/or digital showrooms are experiencing a boom in coronavirus times. A sustainable success analysis of the digital format is still pending, which is understandable because digital formats need to be tried out first.

However, I can say that hybrid events will prevail. By 2021 at the latest, the vaccine will make face-to-face meetings possible again and physical events will experience a boom again. 

So now is the time to prepare for your marketing “after Corona”. Be sure to take the lessons you have learned about digital formats into the “real trade fair world”. Always keep your goal in mind and align your decisions accordingly: Achieve maximum lead generation, strengthen customer loyalty and be able to fall back on key analysis figures.

In this blog, I will give you 7 essential actions for effective and successful trade fair preparation in the spirit of the “new normal after Corona”.

Summary of contents

1. Contract management for trade fair construction contracts and GDPR

2. Take advantage of the benefits of hybrid formats 

3. Plan, execute, analyze

4. Analysis data by means of visitor tracking

5. Sustainable exhibition stand

6. AHA+L etiquette at trade fair stands 

7. Reduce costs for real exhibition stands 

1. Contract management for trade fair construction contracts and GDPR

In spring 2020, WWM had to settle around 300 framework agreement cases for trade fair cancellations due to coronavirus. 99% of all cases resulted in immediate settlements. And there was not a single case that did not lead to a mutual agreement. Why is that? Quite simply, they are good contractual agreements that guarantee maximum security and minimum risk for both parties. Here are a few prerequisites:

• A clear review of your stand builder's contracts by a lawyer who knows the industry.

• Is your stand builder a member of an industry association? Membership of the FAMAB association is an advantage. 

• Long-term framework agreements that are legally secure ensure peace of mind.

• In the case of hybrid format agreements and especially for digital events, your stand builder should have a clear mission to maintain and uphold GDPR compliance in the long term.

• Cancellation deadlines for events are defined in the German Civil Code, but it makes sense to agree staggered cancellation deadlines in the (framework) contracts in case trade fairs are canceled or you as an exhibitor have to cancel an event. Cancellation periods can, for example, be adjusted to the actual costs incurred in the planning and execution phase.

2. Take advantage of the benefits of hybrid formats

There are many indications that “after Corona” real trade fairs and events will become smaller but more refined and their topics will be even more specifically tailored to the respective target group.

Real trade fairs will be flanked by digital and virtual formats. Data from analyses will be given more weight and used to make marketing decisions. The following diagram shows the customer journey and the typical touchpoints for each stage. The touchpoints are separated into physical and digital.

 

 

Reale Touchpoints:

• Showrooms

• in-house exhibitions  

• PR, print, word-of-mouth advertising

• Invitations from small groups of customers who get to know each other and generate added value among themselves thanks to your invitation.

 

Digitale Touchpoints

• Whitepaper als Gated Content,

• blog posts,

• Chats,

• Webinare and Tutorials,

• virtual trade fair stands, tours and joint events through to entire virtual trade fairs,

• Customer Tracking,

• Provision of analyses with optimization advice,

• Integration of communities to increase reach

 

The mix of real and physical touchpoints increases the reach. The use of digital campaigns also enables the real trade fairs to focus on physical encounters.  This will clearly have an impact on the design and use of your physical trade fair stand. Emotionalization of the graphic language and more space for relaxed conversations, but also entertainment are just some of the goals that will significantly change the design of the trade fair stand. 

Hybrid formats are also fully in line with the trend towards content and/or inbound marketing. Only with a stringent and well-told story and a presence on the social media web can companies meet the trend of their prospective customers to first find out about the product themselves online. The “real” trade fair visitor knows his way around and already knows about the product when he visits the trade fair. 

One possible platform for your digital marketing could be the Virtual Event Platform. WWM's Virtual Event Platform (VEP) enables exhibitors to use and integrate their own existing applications and systems, if these exist. In the course of a synergy of real and digital campaigns, the following requirements derived from the AMICO model should be considered when choosing an event platform:

 

 

• Authority: With the VEP you are unbound and can use and change content and platform.

• Measurable: You can only improve what you measure and analyze.

• Integrated : Remember that virtual events must be an integral part of your storytelling as part of your content/inbound strategy. The seed will only grow if you continuously produce content and build a community.

• Connected : Your virtual events must be easy for you to use and interact with existing systems. There must be no isolated solutions.

• Ongoing : With your own platform, you can act whenever you want: 365/24/7.
  

Two solutions for conceivable platforms are shown below:

• Solution 1: 5 modules form the platform and your own existing applications and systems are integrated.

• Solution 2: The platform only contains a VirtualShow plug-in (integration of virtual trade fair stands or showrooms in 2D or 3D)

Plan, execute and analyze trade fair appearances

The P(lan), E(xecute) and A(nalyze) cycle provides orientation for your trade fair stand strategy. An analysis determines the success and the adapted actions should measurably improve the next event.

We distinguish between two types of exhibition stand construction: 

Your stand builder should be able to enable you to plan, execute and analyze all event marketing tasks (stand construction, event management, advertising material handling, printed products, virtual trade fairs) at the touch of a button. To do this, your stand builder needs tried-and-tested software for your event resource management.

• Holistic development of the project, taking into account process data and cost reduction.
• Only with transparent, quantitative and qualitative information and analyses can you optimize the next event. A good stand builder must be able to provide you with this data.
• You are only in good hands if your stand builder can provide you with simple, efficient and effective order processing on a permanent basis.
• The mission of your stand builder should focus on the exhibitor (i.e. YOU).

Here you can find more information on customized stand construction. 

4. Analysis data using visitor tracking

Based on the PEA cycle, you should consider analyses before, during and after a trade fair and draw the appropriate optimizing conclusions.

Our event metrics tracking tool offers “anonymized analyses” for various trade fairs. Here, important insights can influence the design of your trade fair stand.

2) Measuring success during the trade fair (Execute)

If you use a digitalized exhibition stand or LED video walls, you can interactively adapt graphic statements and content. Using visitor measurement, you can decide which content will generate more visitors to your stand. If, for example, at a veterinary trade fair there are more veterinary assistants at the stand in the morning and veterinarians who were at the congress event in the afternoon, you can adapt the content to the target group in the morning and afternoon.

 

5. Sustainable exhibition stand

With a sustainably designed exhibition stand, you impress your target group because your company also reflects an ecological concept in the exhibition stand.  To avoid “greenwashing”, the ecological concept must be authentic. With a contemporary exhibition stand, economy, ecology and sustainability go hand in hand: 

• The use of individualized , yet modular structures enables reusability.

• The use of reusable, ecologically processed graphics is possible, for example, with graphic fabrics in thermal sublimation printing. These fabrics are easy to clean without creasing.

• The optimization of logistics chains enables pooling effects.

• The intelligent selection of service teams enables resource-saving set-up and dismantling.

• Material selection of reusable floor and wall decors.

• Use of rental furniture that can be branded to your company using graphics.

• Advertising materials can be planned and used sparingly and sustainably. (brochures, give-aways, etc.)

 

 

6. AHA+L+C-etiquette at exhibition stands

Your exhibition stand must comply with the current and, if applicable, regional safety and hygiene guidelines. AHA+L+C etiquette is the basis for every event:

• Keep your distance,

• Wash hands/observe hygiene,

• Wear a face mask,

• ventilate and

• use the Corona app.

 

7. Reduce costs for real exhibition stands

 

Although trade fairs and exhibition stands will become smaller and more target group-specific “after Corona” and you might think that they will also become cheaper, beware: flanking F2F events with digital content features and analysis tools will create new cost centers. 

 

Here are some suggestions on how you can save money on stand construction itself:

• Booth that is 100% for rent and still pays into your custom brand.

• Reusable individual graphic fronts that can be cleaned and incur almost no storage costs.

• Smart and process-oriented supply chain

• Avoid trade fair-related costs as far as possible (rigging costs, water, waste, storage, etc. can often be significantly reduced)

 

 

Conclusion

• Future events will be smaller, finer and more measurable.

• It is high time to reactivate your live marketing now. The vaccine is near.

• You can increase the reach of your live events by synergistically combining digital formats. The symbiosis of the best of both worlds, “physical” and “digital”, reduces the costs per lead.

• Is your stand builder a member of the FAMAB association? This should be a matter of course.