In continuation of the discussion started on Tuesday about Virtual Events, I went to one of the exhibitors of the EXPOTECH show to solicit their viewpoint. Jeff Goode from Cross Tech Partners had booth duty at the show and shares the following insights:
When first approached about the fact that our company was going to participate in the EXPOTECH virtual event, I was very intrigued from the outset. This was my first experience exhibiting in a forum such as this and, as a result, my intrigue was accompanied with a little skepticism as well. I wasn’t sure how convinced I was that any genuine business relationships could result from essentially talking with a group of attendees in a chat room. That skepticism that I initially felt soon dissipated when I saw how the event was structured and how “real” the event felt.
Red 7 Media should be commended for their ability to replicate a real conference atmosphere. I was thoroughly impressed with the remarkably high level of technology tools involved in creating and customizing your company’s exhibitor booth. This high level of event technology demonstrated by Red 7 Media was directly reflected in the high level of quality attendees that participated in the event as well as the strong exhibiting companies that were represented on the show floor.
One of the very positive aspects of the EXPOTECH virtual event was getting the opportunity to engage in conversation with a large volume of individuals that were participating for a specific purpose. The discussions were taking place for a reason and with certain goals in mind. While this was a very positive thing, it ended up being a little detrimental, in the sense that (at times) it was difficult to maintain a certain level of attention to the many conversations that may have been taking place at once in your booth. But, all in all, having too many quality conversations to focus on is a good problem to have.
What virtual events like EXPOTECH provide is an unbelievable link to great resources right at your fingertips. In this case the resources come in the form of a quality list of prospects that have very similar interests as you do. The true win from a virtual platform such as this comes in the follow-up with the attendees and how one is able to harness these resources immediately after the event.
In preparing for this blog post Stephen Saber, President of CrossTech Partners along with Jeff Goode, Business Development and I had a lively discussion on the nuances of the virtual event world. New training of booth personnel will need to be develop for this virtual experience.
Here is an example - as an attendee clicking on the booth, I have entered it and I expect some type of response. But what happens if the booth person in texting two or three conversations as I enter? I may not get a response immediately. In the face-to-face experience, I might see that the person is busy or they nod to me and give me a hand signal that implies, just a moment and I will be with you. In the virtual world this seems to be a bit more difficult. Maybe it is not - as an attendee I might need additional training.
It thrills my heart when I hear of the follow up the Cross Tech Partners are conducting after the show. And to know that viable leads from the show are being taken to the next phase of the sales cycle. I just wish every exhibitor, those that are online and off would do the same.
We would appreciate your view points from your virtual world experiences whether you are an attendee, an exhibitor or a show organizer.
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I’ve been able to participate as a attendee in both Red 7’s ExpoTech and Nielsen’s Virtual Meetings World. 98% of my time in both has been for the educational content, which has been really worthwhile. I have only checked out exhibits in Nielsen’s product, with little success in getting a response. After reading your blog, I can see the issue with multiple conversations and that may have been my issue. As a dreaded “supplier”, the bulk of the virtual exhibits really do not apply to me anyway.
Greg, aka @GregRuby