Trade Show Stands: Physical or Virtual?
There are 8 key differences between physical tradeshows and virtual trade show stands. Differences that have already proven to enhance the overall experience, both internally in terms of planning, staffing, costs, ownership, brand development, reach and business ROIs, and externally in customer interactions and engagement with products.
Our chart below demonstrates the difference in audience, space, representatives, time, cost analytics, updates and the environment. We could be a little bias, but there does appear to be an obvious winner. What do you think?
PHYSICAL | VIRTUAL | |
Audience | Limited to attendees | Unlimited – anyone, anywhere |
Space | Limited footprint; and similar to competitors | Unlimited space; and fully bespoke environment |
Reps | On-stand staff | Your best brand ambassadors |
Time | Limited to event duration | Unlimited |
Cost | High & ongoing for materials, travel and staff. Unpredictable ROI | Low and one-off. More predictable ROI |
Analytics | Limited to event attendance report | Behavioural data, visitor tracking, feedback forms and CRM integration for personalised lead nurturing |
Updates | Slow and costly | Quick and cheap. Always reflects latest and best of the brand. |
Environment | Impact from travel and material waste | Close to carbon-neutral |
What does a Virtual Trade Show Stand look like?
We recently completed a virtual trade show stand project. Read on for the full story:
With big international trade shows cancelled because of COVID-19, global craft brand Ellison decided to host their own virtual exhibition. We captured their physical stand using high-resolution 17K 360 photographs, and then used cutting edge techniques to seamlessly stitch-in video presenters, recreating the experience of visiting in real life.
We developed a custom UI with a reactive tab menu system, an interactive 3D map and animated 3D navigation spots. Then populated each scene with carousel and video hotspots to allow visitors to explore products and be inspired by the brand’s in-house designers. Finally analytics tracking ensured that visitor data could be captured and used to inform follow-on marketing campaigns.
You can see the final Virtual Tradeshow here.
If your organisation is look for ways to reshape your trade show experiences, or you work with clients who are looking for new ideas for a trade show stand – consider this virtual alternative.
And if you need more guidance on price, ideas and how it could look contact our team today for a free, friendly chat.
Call: +44 (0)20 3764 2794
Email: [email protected]