Dramatic decline in visitors at ACHEMA – How to react to the changed visitor behavior? – For event managers and trade fair planners

Over 2,200 exhibitors from more than 50 countries were represented at this year's ACHEMA trade fair in Frankfurt. The change in visitor behavior was also noticeable here. Already in 2018 there were 145,000 visitors, fewer than in 2015. This year only 70,000 visitors reached the Frankfurt exhibition center. That is more than half less than in 2018. ACHEMA takes place every 3 years. This time a year later due to corona.

Despite the decline in visitors, trade fairs continue to be an important part of the exchange between providers and potential customers. Personal contact is simply part of it, according to trade fair visitors and exhibitors alike. Everyone agrees on that. Hybrid trade fairs are considered the solution to meet changing market conditions.

Not only the ACHEMA organizers have recognized the signs of the times and are already offering the trade fair 4.0 solution for this year's trade fair event together with Pocketbooth from Vuframe. The trade fair organizer of the bauma trade fair is also a partner of Pocketbooth!

Pocketbooth is the conceptually suitable solution for future trade fairs and changing visitor behavior.

The Internet has already revolutionized the conventional exchange of information, which even improved the quality of trade fairs. Visitors were now able to select their trade fair stands and possible partners in a more targeted and better informed manner, which saved an enormous amount of time.

The decline in trade fair visitors that has now occurred, triggered by the corona pandemic, is no longer a decline in the true sense, but rather a dramatic drop, as the following figures show:

Decline in visitors: trade fairs changed. How you have to react to it now – Image: Xpert.Digital

In fact, the usual sales and marketing strategies do not have to be thrown out of the window. All that is required is an addition or extension.

With hybrid trade fairs and pocket booths, things are now going one step further. The first exhibitors such as GEBHARDT Logistic Solutions GmbH combining their trade fair appearance with smart 3D product visualizations or switching to the interactive and secure 3D demos from Vuframe without any exhibition equipment. That's what Bürkle said at this year's Intersolar .

Bürkle: Extended Reality at Intersolar – Image: Xpert.Digital / Vuframe / Bürkle

With Pocketbooth you become independent of environmental influences and are no longer tied to trade fair locations. There are also no longer any limitations on the exhibition space. Ideally suited for all products, machines and complex systems. With just a few clicks you can create complete trade fair landscapes from your existing CAD / 3D data, thereby increasing not only your reach but also your effectiveness in B2B marketing and sales.

This not only replaces expensive and tedious product visualizations and photography, especially in the print sector, but also saves time, money and nerves in uncertain times of trade fair appearances and changing customer behavior that affects and affects the moment and into the future.

Data is viewed at regular intervals and checked for relevance. This usually brings together some interesting information and documentation, which we combine into a PDF presentation: our own data analyzes and marketing intelligence as well as external market observations. Click on the image above to access the trade fair library.

Suitable for:

• Trade fair library (PDF): Smart & Hybrid & Digital & Fairs & Events – All numbers and data about the trade fairs

• Dramatic decline in visitors at ACHEMA.
• Fewer and fewer visitors to the trade fairs. Is this the downfall or is the renaissance now coming?
• Trade fairs changed.
• React now to the changed visitor behavior.
• New solutions necessary for changing visitor behavior at trade fairs.