{"id":663,"date":"2020-05-11T11:56:18","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T15:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.katartvisuals.com\/blog\/?p=663"},"modified":"2021-01-13T09:50:54","modified_gmt":"2021-01-13T14:50:54","slug":"coronavirus-7-trade-show-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.katartvisuals.com\/blog\/coronavirus-7-trade-show-alternatives","title":{"rendered":"CORONAVIRUS: 7 TRADE SHOW ALTERNATIVES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The coronavirus has caused the cancellation of a multitude of trades shows, exhibitions and conferences worldwide, hammering the $2.5 trillion dollar industry. Among the many closed venues include Amazon MARS 2020 show, The Mobile World Congress, (the world\u2019s largest trade show for the mobile phone industry), CinemaCon, and Comic-Con San Diego. The cancellation are having damaging ripple effects for hotels, hospitality, aviation, entertainment, marketing, restaurant and other industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We will have to wait another five to six months before we even see some normalcy. Now that the vaccine is here, it will take a while before it is fully distributed. Experts say, vaccines will begin for the general public in spring, and most Americans will be able to be vaccinated by June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE FUTURE OF TRADE SHOWS*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Virtual events and creative solutions will still remain the only viable strategy to keep the event industry together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 7 Trade Show Alternatives <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. ROADSHOW TOURS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Load up you van, truck, RV, or trailer with all your materials such as handouts, displays and products and take it on the road. For an added boost brand the outside of your vehicle with eye-catching signage that will let clients know who you are. Think of it like a book mobile parked near your house or the food trucks that come to to your work place during lunch. Drive and park it to all your top wish list clients and let the \u201cRoad Show” begin. Set up shop with a fold out table, some displays, and arm yourself with business cards and hand outs. You will definitely get some attention and the best thing is, you will be focusing on your targeting markets. When a Roadshow tour visits an office, prospects will jump at the opportunity to get away from their desks for a while, and decision makers are present alongside their support teams, so conversations happen on the spot. The ROI on a roadshow can be incredible, as you\u2019re speaking to a captive audience of just the right people at just the right time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. 360\u00b0 VIRTUAL SHOWROOM TOUR<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do you have a store, showroom, or are you an institution with a campus and buildings. Here\u2019s a great way to show what you look like virtually. Customers want to know you are real and experience a setting where for some reason, like the coronavirus, they cannot experience it live. The real estate market has been using the 360\u00b0 virtual tour for a while. Now is a great time to get on board. This technology easily lets you implement what is called interactive hot spots in your design. Mark your 360\u00b0 tour with visible icon hot spots where individuals can click to get pop-ups of product information, see more of similar items, or even go to a check out page. Check out this great example at Danbury Power Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. HOST A VIRTUAL LUNCH AND LEARN<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> WEBINAR<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Treat your clients to their favorite lunch that you will order and have delivered directly to their home or business. With the outcome of COVID-19, Starbucks and other favorite food eateries now have programs for easy delivery. While everyone is happy eating their lunch, host a webinar or video conference. Include online slide show presentations, write in chats, info graphics and interactive elements. For example, clients could click and view products, and service information, take a survey, or download pdfs and images. According to Xant, 73% of sales and marketing leaders identify webinars as a method to generate high-quality leads. When a participant registers for an online workshop or webinar, they are sharing valuable information. With this information, your sales team can design a custom outreach plan to keep these leads engaged during the sales process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. SMALL LIVE EVENT WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Invite a small group, include social distancing rules, to a local meetup. A hand-picked group of customers benefit from great educational presentations, that show your latest equipment, and technology. Listening to customers face-to-face and getting direct feedback on your products or services will be invaluable and taking the relationship to a more personal level is a great marketing strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. ATTEND OR LAUNCH VIRTUAL CONFERENCES<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of talk is happening these days about the virtual conference. As the Coronavirus pandemic forces face-to-face conference cancellations, the stampede toward virtual conferences and online venues increases. To get an idea, they are similar to Channel e2e webcast listings<\/a>. Here are some of the benefits they provide. They are more cost-effective to host and attend, while at the same time, very convenient. By participating in virtual conferences, you can obtain valued connections that can lead to working with qualified leads. At virtual meetings, you may often interact with other attendees in chat areas and digital classrooms to ask questions and discuss relevant content. Hosting and speakers can make excellent connections, gathering data from sign up forms for future marketing. The Toy Association<\/a> had an online trade show called \u201cToy Fair Everywhere\u201d, where \u201cexhibitors and attendees can explore a calendar of daily events, browse exhibitors by category, book appointments for virtual demos and chats, and transact business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. VIDEO MARKETING<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re attending \u201cVirtual Trade Shows\u201d, hosting a small event, or doing a webinar, video presentations always have a big impact. Making small videos to re-use for company presentations is a great feature. Since you can repurposed these videos to other venues it is cost effective and by polishing your content, viewers stay engaged longer. Here are a few statistics for video:<\/p>\n\n\n\n