When the world saw a new light of reopening earlier this year, we were all welcoming it in high anticipation, thinking that we finally can return to our default as human beings: socializing with each other, making face-to-face connections, and mingling in the crowd.

In the event industry, many are gearing up for live events after two long years of hiatus. However, things didn’t go as smoothly as everyone expected. Last month, Skift Meetings reported that event attendance saw a 35% drop from the last stats in 2019.

There could be various reasons behind the numbers, but one thing that we can be sure about is that the pandemic has shaped attendees’ behavior differently. Those who at first had been complaining about staying at home all year finally found their convenience in the new way of life and started questioning whether it’s worth traveling only to attend an event.

This is definitely not good news. For trade shows where building solid relationships with clients and generating leads are arguably better done in person, the declining numbers of onsite visitation become another challenge that organizers must tackle.  

But the show must go on. While we can do our best by harnessing the best potential of the dwindling crowd, it may affect exhibitors’ ROI. Suppose we shift our perspective and see this phenomenon as a blessing in disguise. In that case, it leaves room for improvement for organizers, tech providers, and exhibitors: how to augment the value of your live trade shows and make them worth attending in person?

Boosted ROI = Higher Value of Live Trade Shows

High ROI for exhibitors remains the constant in trade shows. Organizers will be able to harness the maximum potential of their events by leveraging digital technologies, which in turn add value to their events and become powerful tools for exhibitors to prompt more audiences to come onsite.

Sustainable networking opportunities must come first

That live events occur only within 2-3 days from the gates opening to closing is such a traditional way of thinking. While it is true, the networking must kick-off before event days.

Organizers and tech providers must be capable of providing sustainable networking for all event stakeholders pre, during, and post events. For example, following the attendees onboarding through registration, allowing them to access event-related information from the exhibiting companies, distributors, and many more. Thus, they will be able to schedule their agenda prior to the event days and make an advanced appointment for 1 on 1 meeting onsite.

Nevertheless, the mere days of the event itself are the core of the interaction journey and should be spent on the most important part: bringing those conversations made pre-event days with finesse: face-to-face interaction, deal-making, and collaborative handshakes.

After saying goodbye for the day, post-event networking takes place in the form of bringing the conversation to a landing and wrapping everything up nicely.

Analyze your event data and use it to your benefits

Data analysis should be conducted not only after the event ends but throughout the event days itself. A good tech provider will enable you access to real-time data, which is essential for organizers and exhibitors' decision-making process.

To be able to analyze your data effectively, one of the most important things is to make sure that your data is clean enough. Clean data means good-quality data which are all useful to improve the value of your events. Other than that, clean data also reflects the capability of your tech provider.

A good tech provider must be able to provide you with robust solutions and various data to ensure you can attain only valuable data. Only then can you use your data for downstream activities such as engagement, lead generation, and networking.

Utilize digital advertising for brand exposure

Advertising is a great way to give brand exposure to your exhibitors. While physical advertising onsite will be undoubtedly successful, the power of digital advertising shouldn’t be underestimated.

Digitally advertising on the event platform will open the door to higher exposure before the event days come. This is the upside that onsite advertising doesn’t have and could be optimized to promote brand activation for your exhibitors. 

Brand activation in the likes of sponsored push notifications, logo and banner placement on the event platform, and logos on emails sent to the attendees will draw more attention and eagerness for onsite visitation, leading to greater returns for organizers and exhibitors. 

Holistic Engagement Hub As the Vehicle to Skyrocketing ROI

Choosing a robust technology provider with proven capabilities is critical for your event's success. All your strategies to boost ROI for exhibitors can be perfectly executed with a holistic engagement hub.

At Jublia, we are deeply involved in every stage of events, from registration to customers’ satisfaction at the end of the show. Our best-in-class solutions are specifically tailored to cater to each of your event’s needs, as unique as they are. 

Plan Your Trade Shows with Us!

With almost a decade of experience in empowering LIVE events with digital solutions, Jublia understands the importance of digital platforms for any type of event.

Let’s discuss the most suitable solutions we can tailor to suit your event’s needs. Drop a message to info@jublia.com or follow our LinkedIn today!