Episode 028 – Virtual Trade Show Options – Lockdown Period

Episode 028 – Virtual Trade Show Options – Lockdown Episode

The world of trade shows and events has changed dramatically. We are in lockdown and trade shows have all been postponed for several months.

You need to make up for lost opportunities due to not being able to attend one or more shows, what are your options?

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If you are a small business, or you are looking for someone to share ideas or brainstorm with, contact me We can get together on a Zoom call. My years of experience can help you explore new and innovative ideas!

Email me at jim@tradeshowu.biz Make a consultation or schedule a meeting!

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First, you have to commit to not letting this hold you back! Yes, the opportunity to meet your clients and prospects at a trade show is temporarily taken away, but that means you need to get creative and come up with new ways to meet those clients and prospects! So whatever you can do, do it!

Contact Show Management Cancelled or postponed shows. Ask if they offer the following resources for exhibitors:

· Registration List

· List of exhibitors (if not already published on the show website)

Reaching registered attendees through email blasts, advertising, webinars or virtual seminars

So start there. These organizations want to keep you as involved as possible so that you can still exhibit after the show is rescheduled.

Virtual Options:

— Take a virtual tour of your trade show. Users will lead the entire experience, choosing to view information about the products or services they are interested in, and be able to ask questions and even chat in real time.

— A simpler self-guided tour. Make an intro video that welcomes people and lets them know what they can experience. Then make separate videos for them to click through to see all you have to offer. Do a product demo like you would at a trade show. This can be pretty simple if you already have videos, or you can quickly throw some together and design a new webpage.

— Set up your booth like you would at a trade show, set up cameras or phones, and do a live interactive event on FB Live, YouTube Live, or other social platforms. Do lots of pre-marketing to get people to sign up and engage when you go live. Have some presentations ready, and answer questions from the audience.

— Make a video that covers everything at once. This approach can be effective, but it lacks interactivity, and unless the video is short or very engaging, people will leave after 5-10 minutes on average.

— Reach out to key suppliers or partner companies to do business together. This also gives you the opportunity to reach a wider audience because you can combine your internal lists with your followers on social media.

If you are planning on giving a talk, hosting a workshop, or being on a panel, communicate that information to your audience! Turn your talk or workshop into a webinar, or record yourself giving it and post the video. If you are supposed to be on a panel, reach out to other panelists to see if you can join the panel virtually via zoom conference, fb live, Instagram TV, or whatever platform your target audience uses!

Repurpose content you’ve already developed. This could be webinars, videos, white papers, literature, etc. Add value! This is more important than ever because your customers are probably feeling the pinch, too.

So what are you doing during this time? Leave me a message jim@tradeshowu.bizI’d like to feature some ideas in future episodes!