During, and because of COVID19, many people have lost touch.
Little wonder there is intense interest in and demand for conducting, and engaging with exhibitions of products, services and applications. Social isolation and quarantines do that to the psyche of people. Most long to reach out, connect and engage with people who matter. That includes clients, customers, suppliers, associates, and team-members.
Little wonder astute business leaders are taking the opportunity to make an exhibition of their companies, brands, products, and people – sometimes extending to themselves. Being an exhibitionist seems timely.
Reservations about contaminations, intent and understanding are readily and rapidly overcome.
Exhibitions, in their many incarnations and sizes are filling needs, and stimulating interest in new and established products, services and apps.
Relationships are being rekindled, established, and extended. Increased business activities are natural consequences.
Hosts are from a broad cross-section, including professional associations, buying groups, marketing networks, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and retailers.
Creative concepts in invitation designs, displays, demonstrations and samplings are generating interest in and demand for brands.
The shadow of the pandemic and its evolving variants overhang the marketplace. Attendance totals tend to be down. So too are multiple registrations and participants. Trials and tribulations associated with travel remain a perceptual, if not a real impediment and filter. This has been a catalyst for the programming and conduct of multiple, smaller events.
Among the by-products are increased engagements, interactions and transactions.
SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS
One significant trend that is emerging centres on contractions in and terminations of social media campaigns.
Increasingly, funds and budgets are being allocated to re-entering and profiling a strong physical presence among existing, past and prospective clients, customers and collaborators.
Self-conducted exhibitions provide platforms with certain endearing and enduring features. These include exclusive access to time-specific events, which in themselves stimulate interest and generate a sense of urgency.
Promoting new products, the full complementary range, infrastructure support, service arrangements and specific offers, capture attention and often represent enhanced value.
Everything old seems new again.
In many instances, and covering numerous aspects, these events are relaunch and launch occasions. They should be considered new, with formats free from traditions and past practices. Interactions, communication, and networking remain the key, fundamental and effective lubricants for commerce.
Social media and technology should be deployed to complement, not replace the human quotient. Multi-channels, when integrated are optimal when positioning companies, brands, people, and products.
Facilitating interactions, including peers, should be a feature of the programs and schedules. Smaller, targeted events are seemingly, appealing to promoters, invitees and participants. However, care must be taken to avoid overburdening targeted entities, executives, associates, clients and customers with missives, invitations and opportunities. Saturation via social media has been a key determinant in declining use of those media.
BE OBJECTIVE
In the prevailing time-poor, pandemic affected marketplace, with attendant and consequential reluctance to be over-exposed to viruses, infections and both medical and social contaminations, it is imperative for set and specific objectives to be determined for exhibitions and similar events.
A good starting point is a clean slate. Traditions and past practices, including scheduling, should be at least marginalised, if not deleted.
Attendee benefits, advantages and rewards need to be conspicuous, alluring and indeed compelling. Even in periods of recessions customers, clients and purchasing managers find satisfaction and delight in purchases.
That is reason enough to contemplate the planning, promotion and conduct of exhibitions and similar events. New venues, presentations and packages enhance appeal.
GET EXCITED
Against a backdrop of several variants of COVID19, it is important to remember that in commerce few things are more infectious than excitement and enthusiasm.
Barry Urquhart
Keynote Speaker - Exhibitions
Marketing Focus
M: 041 983 5555
E: Urquhart@marketingfocus.net.au