Virtual trade shows have become the new normal and are rapidly taking over the physical trade shows. If you are planning to host your next trade show virtually, this article will help you understand the steps you need to follow and act as a complete virtual trade show guide for you. 

What is a Virtual Trade Show?

A virtual trade show is a trade show that resembles a physical trade show and provides a realistic experience to the audience with the help of a dynamic 3D environment and 360-degree views. In simple words, it is a trade show that is held virtually and can be attended by people from across the globe from the comfort of their homes. Owing to the rising popularity of online trade shows virtual trade show platforms have become a perfect choice for many.

Why Should You Host a Virtual Trade Show?

Virtual trade shows are rising in popularity. But have you ever wondered, why is it so? Let us look at some of the advantages of hosting a virtual trade show. 

• Increased Brand Visibility

The lifespan of virtual trade shows is much more as opposed to physical ones. While a physical trade show lasts for 1-2 days, a virtual trade show can last as long as the organizer wishes. This makes it easier to promote brand visibility. Holding the trade show virtually also means more people attending the event leading to better brand visibility. Additionally, you can also look for virtual trade show platforms that provide dynamic banners functionality. Dynamic banners allow you to display different brands at the same time. This helps increase the visibility of the brand. 

• Better Event Attendance

Hosting a trade show virtually allows people to attend the event from the comfort of their homes without having to travel to faraway locations. It can help you tap customers from across the globe and promote your products in every corner of the globe. This helps increase the attendance in the trade show and get more organic leads. 

• Cost-effective

Hosting traded shows virtually leads to a lot of savings in costs and time. It is a win-win situation for both the attendees and the organisers. A physical trade show involves a lot of unnecessary costs like lodging, renting a venue, hiring staff and catering. Moving to a digital platform helps save these costs. The only significant cost of hosting an online trade show is selecting the right virtual trade show platform. 

• Promotes Real-time Interaction

While physical trade shows seem to be more interactive, they are not inclusive. In other words, it might make the extroverts feel left out. Virtual trade shows have features like live chat and audio/video calls that help such people ask their doubts and questions. These features help them interact with both the hosts and the attendees. Therefore, virtual trade shows are much more inclusive than physical trade shows. 

• Data Analytics

Data analytics plays a very important role in helping you measure the success of your trade show. Unlike physical trade shows, measuring the event data is easier in virtual trade shows. Therefore, make sure you select a platform that provides advanced data analytics features. These features can help you track the time spent by the attendees in the event, most liked and least liked sessions, the navigation path chosen by the attendees, etc. 

How to Host a Virtual Trade Show?

Hosting a virtual trade show requires a lot of pre-preparation and can be intimidating for a newbie. Given below are the steps you must follow to host a successful virtual trade show.

• Identify Your Target Audience

Identify the type of audience you want to target. Your target audience will depend on the type of event. For example, if you are hosting a virtual technology show, your target audience will be people who are interested in technology and science. 

• Find the Best Virtual Trade Show Platform

Selecting the best virtual trade show platform based on your requirements is the key to hosting a successful event. for instance, if increasing attendance is your goal, you must look for a platform that provides features like gamification, live chat and live polls. 

• Identify Your Security Requirements

Security is one of the most vital factors in a virtual trade show. You would not want your confidential information to get leaked in the public domain. Therefore, you should look for a platform that provides advanced features to keep your information safe. Attendee access control is a feature that helps you control all the locations in your event and allow only specific people to access certain locations. 

• Plan Your Event

As it is said, well begun is half done, planning is the first step to hosting a virtual trade show. Meticulous planning will help you accomplish all the tasks on time. It will help you to stay on track and host a successful virtual event. Make sure you stick to the plan throughout the planning process. 

• Promote Your Event

Leverage the power of social media to promote your virtual trade show. You can create dedicated event pages on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and post event-specific content regularly. Moreover, you can ask your guest speakers to promote the event on their social media pages. This will help increase your attendance at your virtual trade show.  

• Provide Good Quality Content

Good quality content that adds value to the customer plays a crucial role in converting leads into customers. Focus on posting information-rich content that helps the customers get to know about the products and services of the company. 

• Set a Timeline

Make a list of the tasks that you need to finish and set a deadline for each task. This will help you stay on time and finish all the tasks as planned. Furthermore, setting a timeline will help make your virtual trade show successful. 

• Monitor Your Event

The powerful data analytics features of the virtual event platform help you monitor the key metrics of your event. It will help you evaluate the performance of your trade show. Therefore, you must look for a virtual event platform that provides you with data analytics and reporting features. 

Final Words

Virtual trade shows are a great way for businesses to promote their brand. Moreover, they can help you generate more leads from across the globe, making them crucial for businesses of all sizes. Hope this article helped you to know about the benefits of hosting a virtual trade show and how to host it.