Overview
Vinexposium is the world's leading organiser of wine and spirits events. Their digital portal Vinexposium Connect expands the reach of their live shows by boosting industry engagement and revenue generation year-round.
The Vinexposium group decided to launch the digital portal at the height of the pandemic. Its aim was simple: to rejuvenate trade and business in the wine and spirits industry and bring their global community together.
Refreshing the community with a new portal
Vinexposium Connect helped the recovery of it's industry by increasing transactions, providing live and on-demand content as well as maintaining engagement throughout the year between their flagship events.
ExpoPlatform came into the picture when the group wanted to update their portal and enhance their community's digital experience as in-person events returned. They were interested in using our 365 Community platform to increase engagement and revenue potential during and after their live shows.
We worked together to create a community website and mobile application with new branding to reflect the Vinexposium's current and future missions. Our technical account management staff and powerful API connectors allowed them to effortlessly import existing data from the old portal.
One of their top concerns was to ensure their content was accessible to both French and English audiences. Our platform allowed them to set up multilingual pages throughout the website. They were also able to build custom exhibitor, visitor, and buyer journeys based on multiple tiered pricing packages.
Solutions used
Facilitating business beyond events
The organisers created an online marketplace system so exhibitors can continue operating outside of the in-person exhibitions. This includes promoting companies and products, showcasing new releases as well as publicising activities and major announcements.
Product finder, request-for-proposals and exhibitor identification at specific events were among the new features added to the marketplace. The community was also integrated with the ongoing Vinexposium shows for a seamless transition between the two formats.
Participants can now receive smart recommendations from our AI-powered matchmaking engine when browsing the online catalogue - ensuring customised and optimal networking.
Suppliers and exhibitors can use a variety of sponsorship opportunities throughout the community website to market their products and services. This establishes the groundwork for continued trade growth throughout the year.
Amplifying networking opportunities
The organising team faced unique obstacles when it came to networking at Vinexposium Connect. They needed a high-performance, user-friendly networking technology that could integrate with their existing event ecosystem.
Our modules were tailored to provide a variety of networking opportunities in the community. This includes customisable matchmaking choices, a pre-scheduled onsite meeting agenda onsite or online, messaging and easy meeting follow-ups.
These services were made available to participants while they were at Vinexposium’s key shows. Exhibitors could set up networking profiles for their companies and products. Bookings could also be made for onsite and online meetings with producers or buyers from these shows.
Our floor plan module allowed event organisers to direct community members to specific stand locations at the event. They also organised hosted buyer meetings to offer qualified business opportunities and improve the ROI of their participants.
Hosting world-class content 365 days a year
Vinexposium was a key creator of insightful industry content during lockdowns. The organisers wanted to use their new community site to continue publishing as well as help producers to educate wine trade members and fans about products and expertise.
The digital site was also planned to include live-stream or on-demand recordings of sessions held during their live events. They were able to easily build the event programme and community agenda using our online sessions and schedule management tools.
The community platform also allowed producers to share corporate presentations and product playbooks. The bilingual functionality was expanded to the news sections to ensure everyone could access articles on important industry topics.
The results
Vinexposium Connect continues to be a roaring success for the company. With more than 200,000 wine and spirits industry members, the community is now fueling interactions and commerce before and after as well as during the events.
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