Rev Up the ROI for Your Virtual Exhibitors

As virtual and hybrid platforms continue to evolve to provide the best experiences for attendees and show organizers, one key audience often can be overlooked – The Exhibitor. Without an actual exhibit floor to walk, these crucial partners may not get the exposure that can ensure their participation going forward

Here are some quick tips to help drive that online traffic to your virtual exhibit hall and help rev up the ROI for exhibitors.

1. Promotion – Make it easy for exhibitors to promote their presence with official logos, template emails, shareable videos and even suggested social media blurbs that are easily customizable. Speaking of social media, you could leverage your own social media channels to promote VIP Exhibitors during the show with direct links to their online booth.   Also, consider providing access to attendee email lists either pre-show or post-show.   And don’t forget to encourage and promote prizes and gamification opportunities if available on your platform.
2. Training – Have you ever logged onto a platform and have no idea how to interact? Training, either by webinar or simple screencast videos, can be hugely beneficial to both attendees and exhibitors.  Not all platforms are intuitive and what seems obvious to some may not be to others.  Consider a creating a link out to an FAQ that has both text and video examples to help exhibitors optimize their space and utilize all available tools.
3. Design – There are platforms that offer 3D representations of exhibit halls with actual booths that your avatar can “walk” into and 2D versions that are simply a long list of vendors and suppliers but no matter what, Search and Filter options are a must. If available, consider highlighting various random or sponsored booths at the top of the page, every time an attendee enters.  Some platforms are now offering a “matchmaking” service that suggests exhibitors based on an attendee’s registration profile.

We hope these tips help you create an online environment that is beneficial for all stakeholders at your show and feel free to share any cool ideas that you’ve come across when attending your favorite trade show floor from the comfort of your own home or office.