How can you browse hundreds of trade show booths, pick up literature from multiple vendors and prospects, network with potential clients, and display your products and services without enduring that “my feet hurt way too from walking around all day” feeling? By attending or exhibiting at virtual trade shows, conferences, and job fairs.

Virtual Trade Show Overview
Virtual events have moved way beyond the one-hour marketing webinar or a small supplement to a live trade show/conference. This is due to a combination of technology advancements, shrinking budgets, and marketers/event organizers looking for more ways to extend the life of their events and bring added value to sponsors and exhibitors.

The benefits as a sales and marketing person (especially those of you who have endured five days of booth duty) are that you don’t have to travel across the country to attend an event, set up the booth at the show, and stand for hours waiting for people to come by to find out about your product.

Virtual events can be designed to look like convention centers (complete with lobby, exhibit hall and networking lounge), conference forums, a university job fairs, or just about anything, anywhere. With an online version supplementing (or replacing) an event, the thought is that organizations will reduce costs and maximize productivity, leads, and more. Online show organizers and their robust technologies allow you to network with people online via chat or email, pick up brochures and collateral, attend sessions, and participate in workshops.

Virtual trade shows let exhibitors customize every element of their virtual exhibit hall, including the graphics and clickable elements of each booth. Attendees visit the virtual exhibit hall, moving from booth to booth visiting exhibitors, collecting materials, and chatting with the booth’s avatar.

Virtual Events by the Numbers
United Business Media's InformationWeek Business Technology Network (IWBTM) conducted a survey of 545 professional IT buyers in late 2008. The survey found that, on average, these buyers attend one virtual event per quarter. Eighty-two percent said they consider virtual events to be a valuable source for learning about new technologies.

According to virtual event organizer, Unisfair, the following is an overview of the numbers behind the virtual trade show industry:

• Average live duration: 1.5 days
• Average archived days: 90
• Average registration: 3,102
• Average attendance: 1,587
• Show Up Rate: 52%
• Exhibitor Booths: 15
• Leads Generated per Sponsor: 348
• Conference Sessions: 5 per day
• Average attendee time at event: 2 hours 31 minutes
• Average Locations Visited: 16
• Average Attendee Interactions:13
• Average Downloads per attendee: 5
• U.S. Attendees: 58%
• International Attendees: 42%

Still, virtual expos don't get nearly as many visitors as in-person events. And because of the lower costs, admission is usually free, attendees at virtual expos tend to be smaller companies rather than large corporations.

Live Trade Shows “Out”; Virtual “In”?
The virtual version of a trade show doesn’t usually completely replace the traditional trade show, but rather is a way to cut costs or add value. For example, Folio: recently announced its first ever virtual show will occur concurrently with its October 27th event for the publishing industry; marketing it as a supplement for those attending and an alternative for those who don’t have the time or budget to travel to the event. A big advantage of a virtual trade show is that vendors and sponsors can track where people ‘attending’ the event go and what they download. The technologies used by the virtual trade show designers / vendors can save your chats and conversations with prospects and even track how long someone perused your booth. There are, of course, stand alone virtual events and trade expos. (See this issue’s event section for a few for marketers and ecommerce affiliates.)

No, virtual trade shows will not completely replace traditional expos and conferences. However, as more event organizers embrace this combination of new media, technology, and marketing channels, your organization will need to be prepared to interact with your prospective customer’s virtual trade show booth’s avatar.

Find out more…
If you're interested in attending, or hosting, a virtual event, find out more in our Upcoming Industry Events section or consult one of the resources and sources listed below.

VIRTUAL TRADE SHOW RESOURCES
Unisfair (http://www.unisfair)
ON24 (http://www.on24.com)
GoExhibit (http://www.goexhibit.com)
Xpofairs (http://www.xpofairs.com)