Hybrid trade fair: trade fair event digital & real – the new trade fair marketing management for event managers

Trade fairs offer companies the ideal platform to present their products and services. No wonder, as exhibitors can optimally get in touch with their target group there and, ideally, achieve lucrative business deals. A trade fair stand, in turn, allows visitors to experience the products tactilely and to clarify any open questions in a personal conversation. But the potential of physical trade fairs can be increased even further by combining them with virtual elements. The resulting improvement in visitor experience and interaction options makes hybrid trade fairs an attractive alternative for more and more companies.

Suitable for:

• The trade fair 4.0 solution with pocket booth – pandemic-ready
• Pocketbooth.io – your trade fair appearance from your pocket with Pocket Booth™

The practical advantages of trade fairs are offset by their considerable effort and some other limitations.
In addition to the high costs for trade fair fees, stand construction and personnel, the time and space limitations are particularly negative, as the duration of the events is usually limited to a few days. In addition, personal exchange is only possible with trade fair visitors. However, the product range cannot be presented to all other potential interested parties for whom the trade fair date may not be convenient or who are too far away.

Suitable for:

• Events & trade fair experience 2022: Virtual trade fairs with SmartVenew – The direct route to your own virtual showroom

The disadvantages mean that trade fairs are far from reaching their full potential. Hybrid trade fair models offer a solution, as they offer an ideal solution to combine the advantages of an on-site event with those of a virtual event. The visit experience can be easily extended using the virtual trade fair app Pocket Booth. The application developed by the Regensburg IT specialists at Vuframe enables companies to transform their offering into the digital space and makes it tangible for interested parties in a clear 3D way. Thanks to the many interaction options, visitors have the digital opportunity to familiarize themselves with the products up close with AR support in a way that would otherwise only be possible in a trade fair environment or a showroom.

In addition, companies can significantly expand the reach of their live marketing through a virtual trade fair stand. Instead of reaching a limited group of your target group in terms of time and region, you can now reach them in their entirety worldwide, around the clock. This happens in user situations that the users themselves determine. This means that interested parties engage with the offer whenever it suits them best. In this way, the virtual extension of the trade fair experience leads to an increased willingness to take part, which significantly improves the company's sales opportunities.

A similar effect can be achieved using the smart 3D visualizations of the Vuframe app.
This also allows companies to present their offerings virtually to potential customers at any time and anywhere without any prior technical knowledge. A big advantage of these digital presences is their cost-effective, long-term implementation: In contrast to the traditional trade fair model, they can be used indefinitely, but do not require high investments in physical presence. It is up to the companies themselves to increase the attractiveness of their virtual presence. In addition to realistic 3D simulations and varied AR experiences, visit frequency can be maximized, e.g. B. by integrating new content. All it takes is a short email including a suitable link to inform previous trade fair visitors about exciting innovations in the virtual exhibition room. In this way, companies create incentives that allow customers to repeatedly immerse themselves in the world of experience of their trade fair app; even if the actual event happened a long time ago.

A plus point of the stationary events is the many conversations that take place at the trade fair stand every day. There, exhibitors receive valuable leads in addition to helpful feedback, while visitors are provided with the information they want.

But every exhibitor and visitor has certainly experienced in the hustle and bustle of a turbulent day at the trade fair that an appointment could not be kept or a contact person could not be reached because he was already busy with other visitors. Here too, the hybrid model can offer efficient support: visitors and exhibitors can easily continue a conversation that began at the trade fair later in a video call if there is not enough time to clarify all open questions on site.

In addition, the digital trade fair apps support the initiation of new conversations. If there is no suitable contact person available for a visitor at the stand, they can easily contact the company using the app to have a quiet, face-to-face conversation about the product and services. Exhibitors can support this process, for example by actively pointing out this offer at their stand. Visitors can be directly invited to arrange a later conversation with a customer advisor using QR codes that are clearly displayed. This is also an example of the successful integration of the real and virtual trade fair world, which brings decisive advantages to both exhibitors and visitors.

Exhibitors will likely appreciate the new trade show follow-up options that Pocket Booth offers. While previously every conversation at the stand had to be laboriously recorded in order to later provide conversation partners and leads with the information relevant to them, this can be done in no time with apps such as Pocket Booth and SmartVenew. With them, the digitally presented products and details can be easily sent by email to the contacts, who can then immerse themselves in the provider's virtual product world via PC, smartphone or tablet.

Vuframe's SmartVenew app impressively shows how realistic the virtual 3D rooms are. This digital showroom can also be easily set up by users and used in both personal and computer-generated environments. Thanks to the smart display and multi-layered interaction options, the app enables stand staff to optimally present their own products on the screen. Especially with large systems, such a simulation is often the only way to clearly demonstrate the offering in a trade fair environment with limited space and time. After the appointment, the visitor then has the opportunity to download the application onto their mobile device and take it home instead of having to lug around heavy catalogs.

The digital app solutions show how they extend the trade fair experience for visitors and enrich it with more convenience and information. The optimized user experience ensures that interest and purchase probability increase; even long after the actual fair has long since ended.

SmartVenew™ is a smart, virtual 3D room that you can set up yourself online, fill with products and content and easily change and update at any time.

• Lead generation online

  e.g. via chatbot, contact form, “Call Me” button

• Virtual demonstration in digital conversation

  via Skype, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, Zoom, etc.

• Send products as “virtual demonstrators”.

  via email, WhatsApp/messages, newsletter, etc.

More about it here:

• Virtual showrooms with Vuframe

• Unlimited range

  With the virtual showroom you can reach people worldwide and regardless of location.

• 365 days a year

  In contrast to a usual trade fair, your virtual exhibition is open to customers and interested parties all year round.

• Innovative customer experience

  Product demonstration with a “wow effect”. The virtual showroom is not only fun, but also memorable.

• Present products virtually

  Show your products in 3D, augmented reality and virtual reality.

• Digital presence

  Present your company digitally and impress with a visually appealing and interactive appearance!

• Virtual exchange

  Whether via chat, telephone or email – maintain virtual contact without shaking hands.

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.