Change or acceleration for Exhibitions
Prior to the pandemic, physical exhibitions were in the ascendancy and, with a lack of clarity over when they will return, we have seen a rise in enquiries for the creation of a virtual stands.
Home Exhibition News The Future of Virtual Exhibitions
So, are virtual events part of the ‘new normal’?
When we asked, the response is generally one of looking forward to the return of physical events, with a need to find alternative ways of promoting their brand in the short term.
Unfortunately, with the way some marketing budgets are structured, there is not always the budget for these ‘new’ options to be incorporated, and the focus remains on the tangible, physical presence which draws prospective clients to the stand, rather than those which may help to extend their visit once they are there.
Virtual events on their own certainly have a part to play in these strange times, however, on their own, they cannot deliver on the full emotional connection, which the theatre of a fixed, anticipated date along with good exhibition design and a planned product launch or big news story can.
Does that mean that a virtual stand has no place after the pandemic?
So, is it a change?
As virtual was around and growing prior to the pandemic, this is not a change, it is an acceleration of its use and, as discovered with working from home (covered in our previous article Here), virtual just does not deliver at a very human ‘gut feeling’ level on its own.