Throughout the pandemic, technology was providing us with information and engagement. For example, we could capture data from a virtual exhibit with gamification or some other method of connecting with attendees. Even the least tech-savvy among us realized that advanced technology was part of the future.
Technology Advances
Artificial intelligence, only a slight blip on the exhibiting radar during the pandemic, is now embraced for what we can append to our existing data and how we can actually create content. Virtual reality brought products to life on screens when they couldn’t be experienced in person.
On the other hand, there was a lot of talk about the Metaverse and how it could be used for business events. Right now, that talk appears to have stalled, and trust seems to have eroded. Will interest reignite—or will we relegate that to the pile of things we used to care about? Are we concerned about the massive layoffs at Meta? Probably.
In fact, the tech sector itself is under siege. For our exhibits and events, we need to know that we will have support for the technology we use. What we know about our current exhibits is that interactive screens are a fact of life—and using them to educate and engage attendees is a challenge for designers. More than that, however, we are hungry for more applications of technology that will engage our visitors, communicate our brand story, and allow scalability in this era of omnichannel marketing.
Travel isn’t what it used to be
Another challenge facing us is travel—the cost of travel, the disruption in travel, and the attendant seriousness in the decision to attend. For example, early in the pandemic, there was chatter about holding shows in second (and third) tier cities at smaller venues where people would feel safe. Now we realize that the cost of traveling to these cities is almost prohibitive compared to the cost of traveling to major trade show cities.
Collaboration: a Positive Outcome
As we go about producing in-person experiences, we have learned to let go of our greed in being the one-stop shop. Instead, we have learned to collaborate with best-of-class companies whose excellence in delivering on their core competencies is a much better solution than building entire new departments. “Playing in the sandbox” today means sharing our buckets and shovels. As the industry returns, timelines become shorter, and collaboration solves many problems. As a result, new partnerships are forged—and not simply as a one-time thing.
Event Marketing Redux
And finally, we gained a new appreciation and approach to event marketing, although the basic format of pre-show, at-show, and post-show hasn’t changed. Social media is the dominant force in pre-show outreach, followed by email. As many workers are now home-based, regular “mail” is not a good option. Corporate CRMs are carefully tended. Exhibitors demand that show organizers become partners in attracting attendees with specific plans to get the target market to the show floor.
As we mentioned, interactive screens—wall-mounted, hand-held, or whatever else is on the radar—have become an essential part of the at-show experience. We are learning from other in-person applications like museums. For those attendees who are still cautious about health and safety issues, there are solutions for touchless experiences. The interaction between staff and attendees can be facilitated with interactive visuals, whether activated by staff or visitors. Depending on the size of the space, a literal customer journey is possible; adding an AI component makes the experience more interesting—and more measurable.
Hospitality won’t go away. Concerns like furniture placement that grew out of Covid-distancing have become an interesting design feature. In addition, the pandemic introduced new and exciting solutions for engagement that are replacing more analog techniques.
And finally, the role of post-show marketing has become more important. Assigning QR codes to visitors to download what used to be shipped as literature and facilitate ongoing conversations is commonplace. Marketers can now append information collected in the exhibit directly to their corporate CRMs. Amassing audience information in one place is marketing-friendly but also irons out possible attribution disputes. In the best-case scenario, the outreach after events or sales calls can be ongoing and seamless.
Tearing Down the Silos
Covid was a wake-up call for closer collaboration between agencies and clients. When we experienced the complete cessation of in-person events, we realized that many of our distinctions—say, between trade shows and events—were only serving to silo our resources rather than marshaling them. The in-person experience, no matter what we call it, depends on creativity, technology, and interpersonal skills. If some of the former separate elements get lost, that’s not bad. It means that during the pandemic, we learned that our events, trade shows, and other incarnations of live events have more in common than we knew—and that identifying our commonality is good for the future of the live industry.
Want to see some examples of how you can make the most of technology in your exhibit? Click below to download free slides that explore the ways technology can help you visualize time spent in booth, visitor interactions, and more.
