How to Boost Engagement at a Virtual Trade Show?

Owing to the current circumstances, businesses around the world are hosting events virtually. The biggest concern while hosting a virtual event is to keep the attendees engaged throughout the show. Though online events come with numerous benefits, they come with some challenges as well. Ironically, their biggest challenge lies in the fact that they are conducted on screens over the internet. People have a short attention span and find it difficult to concentrate on the screens. Hence, it comes as a challenge for the organizers to keep the audience engaged throughout the virtual event.

What is a virtual trade show?

Virtual trade shows are events that allow exhibitors and attendees to interact in an online space. They are just like their physical counterparts allowing the attendees to engage but are more flexible and advantageous. Virtual trade fairs are becoming companies’ first preference these days due to being extra beneficial. Online trade shows eliminate various challenges and risks that come with an in-person trade show.

This blog right here discusses some interesting ideas to increase audience engagement at a virtual trade show. So fasten your seatbelts, and let’s start.

1. One-on-one interaction tools

Physical trade shows allow people to interact with each other with a lot of ease. It might or might not be the case with online trade exhibitions. But let us tell you something, This is not true! Don’t let this misconception get in your way from hosting a highly interacting virtual trade fair. The best virtual trade show platforms like Dreamcast offer you various tools to boost attendees’ engagement. These tools are networking tables, gamification, AI matchmaking, B2B Meeting scheduler, and one-on-one live chat options.

2. Add a never-seen-before touch

The audience likes to see something new every time. Experiencing the same thing again bores them, and it is new that makes it to the hearts and minds of the people. Incorporate a never-seen-before factor into your virtual trade show. Give your event a personalized touch and create a 3D virtual space that will give them the feel of a real trade show. The 3D space would have walkways leading the attendees to various booths and stalls. You can use the walkways to display sponsor logos and products that will help you increase brand visibility. The show will have customized booths that will help people get information. The attendee can simply visit any booth and acquire the product information from the exhibitor via live chats, audio calls, or video calls.

3. Include Live Polls

Don’t let people feel in an alien world at your virtual trade show. Involve your attendees in the virtual trade show through live polls, Q&A sessions, and live comments. Make them feel that their opinions matter by asking them questions. It will also increase the interaction between the audience and the exhibitors.

4. Use Social Walls

We live in a world of social media, why not make it a part of your virtual trade show. Inculcating social walls will help you increase the event reach. Social media walls collect data from various social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest posted with your event hashtags and mentions. Social media provides an excellent opportunity for attendees and exhibitors to engage in discussions.

5. Keynote sessions

The speakers you will have at your virtual trade show are, in a kind, going to be the face of your event. Make sure you select a speaker that has expertise in the subject. A well-known face or a key-note speaker will keep the audience’s excitement alive throughout the virtual trade expo and increase their engagement. Try to get a speaker you know would add value to your audience’s experiences. You can also add a surprise factor and plan a session with a celebrity at your online trade show. This strategy would act as a bonus and make your virtual trade fair more engaging. Try to schedule to keep the audience hooked to the event. Drop some trailers a few days before the online expo and keep your attendees guessing.

6. Visually appealing factors

Make the best of your skills and technology by including some captivating graphics to make the virtual fair more pleasing. Since online trade show platforms allow customizations as per your needs and demands, you can ask them to add pop-ups and scrollers. Use these pop-ups to share fun facts or updates throughout the event. You can also organize lucky draws at the trade show and use these pop-ups to announce winners’ names. It will keep the audience’s excitement and curiosity high throughout the proceedings.

7. Collaborate with famous faces

Collaborate with celebrities and famous faces to increase the engagement of your virtual trade show. Ask them to promote your event on their social media platform and engage their followers to attend your fair. Seeing famous faces talking about an event will make people trust the authenticity of your event. It will increase the number of attendees as well as your brand reputation.

8. Keep it short

Watching online sessions for long hours can be tiring. People will either not pay attention to the event or leave it midway. To avoid such situations, keep the sessions short and add some ice-breaking sessions between the sessions. These activities will help people know each other and increase the engagement of the virtual trade show. These activities will add value to the experience of your attendees.

Winding Up

It takes a lot of planning and brainstorming to bring your plans to reality and even more effort to make them unique. If not planned properly, your wow factor can be the reason for your event’s failure. Since virtual events are a new concept, one needs to make extra efforts to execute a successful virtual trade show. There’s no doubt in the fact that when it comes to audience engagement, physical events are considered a better option. But, as an organizer, make it clear that virtual events can be as engaging as their physical counterparts.

With a virtual event platform like Dreamcast and the above-mentioned virtual trade show ideas, you can have an engaging virtual expo with the maximum number of attendees. So what are you waiting for? Get in touch with the best virtual trade show platform and give your plans the execution they deserve.