Exhibitor Events – how you can maximise value

Repeat participation of exhibitors is possible only when they find real value in your events. Exhibitor Events is one feature that helps them make their offerings more attractive and boosts the value proposition of your show.

Explori’s latest research on exhibition professionals has thrown up some interesting – and concerning – results.

The good news – in-person tradeshows remain a valued marketing channel for event professionals.

The bad? Exhibitors might be attending fewer shows in the coming years due to budget cutbacks.

There are two main reasons – global inflation and an increase in exhibit-related costs like venue and vendor fees.

An absence of measurement data also means it’s becoming tougher to prove the ROI of tradeshows to senior leadership.

Chloe Richardson, VP of senior corporate relations at Explori, said: “If measurement is done properly and we can demonstrate impact in all of those areas, it’s the real evidence senior leadership needs to sign off event budgets, allowing teams to continue changing hearts and minds with events – in short, justifying why we do events in the first place.”

This means there’s a real possibility exhibitors could be attending ONLY high-priority events in the coming years.

As a tradeshow organiser, your goal is clear – make your tradeshow the high-priority one that exhibitors would want to attend.

Also read  ? Our case study on IMEX Frankfurt 2023 for which ExpoPlatform created special Exhibitor Events

Here’s how Exhibitor Events can help

What are Exhibitor Events? ?

Exhibitor Events come as advertised – events that exhibitors create at tradeshows to build more personalised connections with buyers.

These events can be onsite, virtual or hybrid  – made up of product demos, workshops or training sessions, networking sessions, one-on-one meetings or panel discussions.

Exhibitors can use different customisations to tweak their offerings while the overall experience is curated and controlled by the organiser.

Some of these customisations include ?

• Creating and promoting private events: Exhibitors can connect with participants in a more intimate setting by enabling private events. These are not visible to the average user and can be promoted by sending direct invite links.
• Add more relevant entities to the event: Option to attach more details to an event like speakers, moderators, sponsors, contact persons and child exhibitors. This improves the credibility of the event and creates more networking opportunities as the displayed profiles offer a direct line of communication.
• View interested participants through booked events list: Exhibitors can view all those attendees who have added Exhibitor Events to their schedule. This helps them pursue more targeted engagement strategies with a more qualified audience, increasing the likelihood of future collaboration or business opportunities.
• Search filters to help attendees find different e
• vents: A number of filters can be enabled in the marketplace to help participants search for an Exhibitor Event easily. These include Track, Date, Exhibitor Name and Product Category filters.

How Exhibitor Events add value ?

Exhibitor Events forge opportunities for exhibitors to network, showcase, build relationships and gain valuable insights into their audience. Some of these are:

1. Access to targeted audiences

Exhibitor Events allow companies to target specific audiences that are more interested in their products or services. Through targeted invitations, exhibitors can invite prospects, customers and business partners to attend their event. This increases the number of qualified leads and potential sales.

2. More intimate, customised experience

These events are held in a smaller, more intimate setting that allows exhibitors to have more meaningful conversations with attendees. Companies can create more immersive and engaging experiences that showcase their products and services e.g. setting up product demos, offering exclusive discounts or hosting interactive sessions with industry experts. This fosters deeper engagement and relationship building for stronger business partnerships.

3. Enhanced product education

Exhibitors can go beyond the constraints of a traditional booth and provide training, workshops and educational sessions. They can set up a number of micro meetings for their team members who can showcase the value of their offerings to potential buyers – increasing interest and conversions.

4. Greater brand exposure

With Exhibitor Events, companies can create a buzz around their brand by promoting their meetings through social media and marketing channels. These can be exclusive invites, media coverage or even entertainment spotlight – maybe a cocktail session!

5. Better ROI

Exhibitor Events are a part of online event platforms and have tangible metrics that can be measured and shown to stakeholders. Through data analytics, exhibitors gain key insights into attendee engagement, preferences and behaviour. This empowers them to track leads, measure conversion rates and identify areas for improvement.

This goes a long way in convincing the senior leadership the worth of their investment and improves the possibility of repeat participation.

Another great way to improve event ROI is by monetising through digital packages. Download the Monetisation Blueprint to learn how you can easily create one for your shows.

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 ?