Just a few years ago, virtual conferences were rare, with the vast majority of businesses attending in-person trade shows and industry events. Now virtual showrooms have become a powerful alternative to traditional trade shows as businesses have discovered that nearly any event can go virtual, often with as many registrations as previous in-person events had, if not more.
The expanded reach and increased accessibility of virtual showrooms represent new opportunities for businesses. The same advantages that businesses enjoy attending an in-person event, such as networking and leads, still work in the virtual environment. With the ability to make connections from the comfort of a remote location, the shift to virtual events, conferences, and webinars will not only increase but may be a replacement to trade shows.
What are virtual showrooms?
A virtual showroom is simply an online version of a traditional trade show, where exhibitors and visitors connect with one another online rather than in person. Hosted online, a virtual showroom can include everything that is expected from an in-person event, from virtual booths and sponsorships to appointments and lead tracking.
Benefits of a Virtual Showroom
Virtual showrooms can engage a global audience and are a valuable opportunity for exhibitors and attendees alike. With fewer overhead costs, maximized reach, and a greater ability to track results, virtual events will be a more practical and economic option for reaching customers for many businesses. Like an in-person event, marketing is needed to drive traffic to a virtual showroom. DFS can help businesses be ready for their next virtual trade show with a wide variety of printed materials.
Reach a Wider Audience
Easier to attend than an in-person trade show, your virtual showroom represents a chance for greater visibility and increased leads. The combination of no travel costs and less time away from the office makes it much more convenient for attendees to visit virtual showrooms and often translates to significantly higher attendance numbers. While physical venues are limited to the maximum number of attendees that they can accommodate, a virtual showroom does not hold the same limitations. In addition, virtual events aren’t limited in length, and they benefit from being able to attract a global reach. Altogether, this can mean that virtual showrooms present a meaningful opportunity for businesses to reach new audiences and increase brand awareness.
Capture More Leads
One of the most important aspects of a trade show is the interaction with attendees. That interaction can still happen with a virtual event through video conferencing capabilities. Some virtual showrooms include virtual meetups for networking, while others allow for real-time interaction between attendees and exhibitors. Attendees can either pre-schedule an appointment before the trade show begins or request an appointment during the event itself. Appointments with the interested parties can either be in a one-to-one setting or with larger groups.
Virtual showrooms have a unique advantage when it comes to capturing leads. With information on each event attendee readily available, businesses can easily capture their interests and contact information. This allows businesses to reach out to qualified leads for future marketing outreach.
Make Your Virtual Showroom Stand Out
The time and attention that you would put into an in-person trade show should still be brought to your virtual showroom. Give attendees the same kind of experience they would have if they visited your booth in person with consistent branding, dynamic video, clear audio, and virtual samples of your products. Be prepared with digital flyers to provide booth visitors with more information.
Your virtual showroom, like ours, could be divided into separate areas, including:
- Welcome – a welcome area where they could be greeted and given an overview of the company
- Products – a product area where attendees could learn more about specific products as well as the extensive breadth of products available to them, from checks to full-color printing
- Contact – a place where visitors can ask questions, make comments, or schedule a virtual meeting
Let your virtual showroom be an interactive and immersive experience for attendees. After the event, you might consider sending promotional items to potential customers who visited your booth.
The event landscape is expanding, with virtual trade shows poised to be as successful as in-person events. DFS can help make sure you are ready with digital marketing tools, eCatalogs, and a wide breadth of product offerings that can fulfill any customer needs. Contact us today to be matched with a DFS business advisor to help grow your business.
Key Takeaways
- The event landscape is expanding, with virtual showrooms poised to be as successful as in-person events.
- With fewer overhead costs, maximized reach, and a greater ability to track results, virtual showrooms are a valuable opportunity for exhibitors.
- Easier to attend than an in-person trade show, your virtual showroom represents a chance for greater visibility and increased leads.
- Give virtual attendees an interactive experience with consistent branding, dynamic video, clear audio, and virtual samples of your products.
- DFS can help with a wide breadth of product offerings that can fulfill any customer needs.
