Ever since the world was introduced to the COVID-19 virus there have been some massive shifts in the events industry in lieu of social distancing & virus infection. In case of traditional in-person events a lot of time was invested in preparing the physical booths for all the aspects of the event. However, since the advancements in technology, upon which virtual event platforms are relied on, it has become significantly easier to plan and manage the event. In light of virtual event platforms today we will be looking at creating a virtual event expo hall and exhibitor booths.
Virtual event Expo Halls and Exhibitor Booths
There are certain steps which you adapt to make the most out of your virtual event expo halls & exhibitor booths. The following steps are in regards with attendee’s engagement and planning the overall event to execution. A feedback mechanism is also incorporated because feedback is essentially free advice for your event from the attendee’s perspective.
Think about you’re your Goals and Plan accordingly
Lay out a proper plan and make sure that your team and you are on the same page. The overall goal of the event should be clear to all and a unified approach is necessary to achieve maximum attendees’ engagement, thus improving the success rate of your event. Some of the goals which you can work with are content presentation, speakers, exhibition items, and even technical support.
Gather a Team
Events are all about teamwork. There are various aspects in a virtual event, which to be frank is not an easy task to pull off. Though relatively less as compared to traditional in-person events. You must be ready with solutions throughout the entirety of the event and that’s not a one-man job. Having an A-team is recommended, each with its own area of expertise. There is a technical side of the event since it is being broadcasted throughout the world over the internet. There must be a marketing team which can help you capitalize several aspects of the event. While simultaneously helping in keeping the attendees engaged.
Just like that there are several other groups of people you may require to provide a seamless experience. Some of the other teams you may require are speakers/informants, customer support, guides, and management.
Create an immersive virtual Environment
The title says it all. You will be hosting an event that is taking place over the internet & will broadcast throughout the world. On contrary to a traditional in-person event you will have spent a lot of time thinking & creating a virtual space that can recreate the immersive & interactive experience which you find in a traditional in-person event. Your expo hall & exhibition hall must be interactive with stunning visuals to develop a good first impression & attract the audience to witness you have to offer.
Creative banners, logos, introductory videos, & custom booths are some of the ingredients which can be presented in a creative manner to incline the audience in favor of your event, after all the first glimpse is always important.
Content is the KEY
What you will be representing in the event matters the most because that is what your attendees will be witnessing. Your whole event is going to be revolving around the main content. Videos, audios, and even textual information are part of content. Attendees tend to be more engaging with relevant content to which they can relate to, you need to keep in mind the workload & atmosphere of your attendees & based on that you can plan your content to complement that atmosphere.
Creative content paired with stunning aesthetics is never a bad investment for any virtual expo hall or exhibition booth. Most noted benefit of hosting an event virtually is that it will help you save a significant amount of time. Which is rather invested in unproductive monotonous work such as printing the banners and flyers. This also means that you have more space and time to devise the most relevant & relatable content for your attendees.
Patience is necessary!
There are plenty of event planners & organisers who start harassing their attendees by constantly interfering with their experience to explore the event on their own. Some way or another they try to constantly engage the attendees by either recommending them to booths to visit events. Though we admit some sort of promotion is necessary, but pushing your attendees towards the same is not recommended. Let them roam around your booth & gain an immersive experience which will stimulate to that of a traditional in-person event. Essentially patience is an important skill whenever hosting an exhibition booth.
Feedback is crucial
Feedback and surveys are one of the best ways to gather crucial information regarding the attendee’s perspective of the event. Since the event is hosted for the attendees to witness what you have to offer, it is significant to understand what they liked & disliked in the virtual event expo hall & exhibition booth. Ask for feedback forms & carry out surveys regarding your event to attain valuable information that is bound to help in the future whenever the next time you will be hosting a similar event.
In Layman’s terms, feedback and surveys are free advice that relates to the attendee’s perspective towards the event. Change is always around the corner, the sooner you realize it the sooner you can implement it. On the other hand, asking for honest feedback will make your attendees feel included & engaged with the event, because when they criticize something and witness that area improve in the next event, a sense of inclusion and satisfaction arises in the attendee’s mind and that’s what engagement is all about.
Over to You
Since COVID-19 pandemic, 2020. The event industry has experienced a shift of trend from traditional in-person events to virtual event platforms. A major factor in this shift of trend is social distancing. Thus, it is significant to understand & adapt to the current scenario and learn how to host a successful virtual event. The above-mentioned article covers the steps which you can implement the next time. You are hosting a virtual event expo hall and exhibition booth to maximize attendee’s engagement & increase the success rate of your event. From planning your goals to attaining valuable feedback, all these steps are bound to make your event effective