Planning and Logistics

2020 was a year that none of us could have expected. Although the coronavirus pandemics’ impact on the event industry was not something that we had control over, it’s still our job to do what we can to pick up the pieces and help move forward.

Trade shows aren’t going anywhere, but we may see a few changes in attendance moving forward.

Hybrid events are becoming a new key strategy to success in the trade show world. Executing them well takes additional planning on top of your traditional trade show event, but that extra effort will definitely make an impact!

One very important aspect for exhibitors to prepare for is how attendees feel about stepping back into public spaces, specifically large events like trade shows. This is why it’s important to start contemplating ABOUT hybrid events.

Has your business ever exhibited at a face-to-face trade show before?

Had you thought about exhibiting, but then restrictions due to the COVID pandemic shut down those plans?

Been thinking about exhibiting at a trade show but not sure when things will be “back to normal”? Wondering if there’s a way to start preparing for when in-person trade shows do finally get back into full-swing?

Trade shows have taken a halt this year and exhibitors have had to deal with the stress of canceled and rescheduled shows. With this downtime before most trade shows resume, it’s the perfect time to check in on your exhibit properties and determine if they are ready to go as is or if they may need some updates or repairs before they make another appearance.

Did you know that about 72% of exhibitors participate in trade shows to generate new leads? Whichever method is used to collect lead information, whether it’s taking business cards, using badge scanners, filling out paper forms, or other unique tools, leads are a driving factor in the trade show world.

THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO.

YET, VIRTUAL EVENTS ARE HELPFUL IN GENERATING BRAND AWARENESS FOR SMALL AND MICRO BUSINESSES.

For some time, we have gotten used to seeing many trade shows updating us with statements such as: “This year’s show cancelled,” “Join us for our new virtual trade show,” or “Stay tuned for future dates.”

After the trade show industry halted face-to-face marketing for health and safety reasons and pivoted to virtual exhibits, it is encouraging to see several large shows forging ahead with their planned (or postponed) dates for next year. Although we understand that the status of these shows is fluid and changing almost daily, we are very encouraged to see so many doing what they can to ensure we can get back together again in 2021.

nostalgic DETOUR ON TRADE, ROMANCE AND REMEMBRANCE

We are taught in our schools about the beauty, elegance and engineering marvel of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The gardens that now exist in our imagination are a testament of creativity and the romantic love shared by King Nebuchadnezzar II and his wife Amytis.

source: exhibitoronline.com

PHYSICAL DISTANCING AND SOCIAL ETIQUETTE

Teaching proper trade show etiquette to your booth staff is a must if you want to keep attendees engaged in your booth and gain quality leads. Properly greeting, understanding expectations, and keeping attendees engaged are all highly important and will impact your exhibiting results.