Chart of the week: Audiences want year-round content

Exhibitors and attendees are keen for more year-round educational content and engagement opportunities, a new survey reveals.

Research from Emerald’s B2B Events Industry Outlook 2022 shows that 55% of exhibitors surveyed were eager for more meetups and networking opportunities. 

Another 47% preferred webinars while 46% of those polled wanted in-person roundtables and forums.

A similar sentiment was echoed by the surveyed attendees – 62% were keen to attend more webinars and 54% showed interest in meetups and networking. 

Almost half the respondents wanted online roundtables and forums while 46% indicated a preference to have the same face-to-face. 

The report surveyed more than 1,000 event organisers, vendors and attendees in the US and Canada to analyse the trends influencing and shaping the future of B2B events.

What’s behind the figures?

Digital transformation has shaken up things in the events industry. Traditional formats have evolved, technology has become dominant and audiences’ expectations have shifted dramatically.

Attendees and exhibitors today expect more value from the shows they attend, especially in the form of digital experiences.

A conventional three-day meeting model no longer cuts ice – your audience demands immersive, personalised and year-round accessibility and networking options.

That means an exhibitor or attendee should be able to connect with each other any time of the year to keep the conversations going and conduct business deals.

Moreover, it’s also important to stay abreast of industry trends and explore the latest products and insights through content-driven initiatives like webinars, podcasts, meetups and more.   

What does it mean for event organisers?

Social media channels like LinkedIn have long been used as platforms to connect like-minded professionals. However, their utility is severely limited by the lack of functions.

The solution to create year-round connections for a niche group of buyers lies in the form of 365 community platforms.

Such a specialised platform is equipped with tools and functions like content hub, AI matchmaking and sponsorship features.

These help you build an all-in-one educational, networking and lead generation platform – accessible anytime and anywhere.

You can publish and share digital content, host webinars and podcasts, promote upcoming events and do a lot more.

This creates an engaged community of members that can be nurtured into potential leads, driving exhibitor ROI.

You can also help interested buyers explore the latest products and conduct transactions through an online marketplace.

Download our Marketplace Blueprint to learn how you can set up one easily. Interested in learning more about 365 communities? Check out how ExpoPlatform can help.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful. At ExpoPlatform, we want to help you build better events and communities. Please get in touch and ask for a demo here. Thank you.