'Hybrid' Trade Show Best Practices

A physical show can benefit from a virtual component.

Virtual events—webcasts, webinars, and virtual trade shows—have come to the fore in 2009. The virtual event is an ideal solution in a tough economy, as enterprises strive to reduce costs associated with travel and physical events.

However, there is also an emerging and increasingly popular trade show category: the "hybrid" trade show. These are meetings and conferences that extend traditional physical events with a virtual component. The combination of in-person events with webcasting and other online resources results in a hybrid event that offers the best of both worlds in terms of reaching prospects and maintaining high levels of customer contact.

As you consider the use of virtual components to complement traditional trade shows, keep in mind these basic principles to ensure that your hybrid show is successful.

1. Communicate benefits clearly to exhibitors.

Help exhibitors understand that adding a virtual component adds value and extends reach in an innovative way. The virtual content can be recorded and posted online for future viewing by customers, prospects, and new hires. A hybrid approach offers maximum ROI of marketing dollars.

2. Use screen shots to illustrate the virtual show.

Because the virtual show is a new concept to many, provide screen shots of the show in advance to illustrate what it will look like. This will help participants understand what to expect and can be a powerful way to pique interest.

3. Promote attendee benefits, too.

With a hybrid show, attendees can visit the virtual booths of all physical show exhibitors. They can ask booth staffers questions and view documents, videos, demos, and other materials posted by the vendors. Most important, customers can join an event off and on during the show as they conduct their normal business. They only need to "travel" to their computer to gain access to the show. In addition, because the content is usually on demand available after the event, convenience and flexibility are enhanced even further.

4. Offer registration prizes and incentives.

Awareness is key to achieving registration objectives, yet you are competing with any number of alternatives when attempting to gain prospective attendee mind share. Offering an incentive for their time is a good way to build up the registration base. Especially popular prizes are books written by appropriate subject matter experts and gift cards.

5. Provide compelling content online.

Develop interesting, engaging, and educational content. This is probably the most critical element required for your hybrid event's success. If you and/or your exhibitors offer materials that are boring or that do not bring relevant value, you will lose your attendees—and their sales. For example, exhibitors should use video in their virtual booths, as video can greatly enhance communication effectiveness, information retention, and the overall user experience. And be sure to offer live Q&A sessions to encourage your guests' participation and further engage them.

6. Provide ample networking opportunities.

The primary advantage of a traditional trade show is face-to-face contact and communication. Simulate that experience online with a virtual "lounge" for one-on-one chats, group discussions, and professional networking that attendees can use to find and connect with peers. In addition, when the show is live, vendors can converse with customers visiting their booths.

7. Fully leverage virtual reporting tools.

One of the biggest advantages of a hybrid event is the reporting tools that are available. They provide comprehensive information about attendee behavior—what booths they visited, what products they were interested in, what documents they downloaded, what videos they watched, how long they were in a booth, and what questions they asked. In addition, be sure to take advantage of other opportunities to collect analytical data:

Prepare questions to ask during the show registration process. Use this information to tailor content to meet your attendees' needs and to qualify participants.

Solicit feedback from participants. As attendees exit the show, ask them a short series of questions to further qualify them as sales prospects and evaluate the success of the event.

Focus on sales follow-up and lead-nurturing after the show. Continue to build relationships with show attendees by sending them a link to the archived show content or even a simple e-mail thanking them for participating. Be sure to forward their contact information to sales representatives. Non-attending registrants should receive links to archived content, too.

8. Leverage the marketing impact of on-demand content.

Use your archived virtual show to make customers more aware of your company's products and services. An on-demand virtual show can also spur interest in upcoming physical shows by providing a preview of what attendees can expect.

Denise Persson is the chief marketing officer for ON24, a provider of webcasting, lead generation and virtual event solutions. For more information, visit www.on24.com.

Originally published Aug. 1, 2009

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