There weren’t many benefits to the enforced Covid lockdowns over the last few years, but it did give businesses within the event industry the opportunity to rethink their long term strategies, and to invest more time into their research and development. The result has been an array of virtual event solutions, like Noba’s Virtual Event Pod entering the market.
The Covid era has changed our approach to live events, but over a year into the mass migration to virtual and hybrid event solutions and it’s still a challenge to find a virtual exhibition product that ticks all the boxes for both exhibitor and attendee. Covid is not going away, so the corporate event industry still needs to get smarter and more dynamic in its approach to hybrid events.
Has the climate change crisis also escalated the development of new technologies such as virtual attendance solutions?
Along with the challenges that Covid has brought our way, our industry is under significant pressure to adopt a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach to event production. The Cop26 conference held in Glasgow in 2021 has made industry leaders more determined than ever to respond to climate change. This will include implementing strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of events, which will naturally lead to a greater demand for more virtual and hybrid solutions.
What does the exhibition landscape look like for 2022?
The live event industry is optimistic about the future, with some event professionals anticipating that 2022 will be a very strong year. Experts are predicting that we will continue to see the trend in connected technologies and integrated live/virtual formats.
Exhibition World recently reported that the 13th edition of Globex, the global exhibition organising market assessment and outlook for 2023, details the devastating impact of COVID-19 on 2020/21 and provides market projections to 2023. Within this Globex 2021 Report, editor Carole Boletti stated:
“The impact of the COVID crisis has exceeded most expectations, therefore the outlook beyond 2021 remains uncertain to some degree. For 2021, we forecast the market to be valued at $14.8m, still 49% lower than 2019. Looking ahead, AMR forecasts that by 2023, the global exhibition market should rebound to 96% of its 2019 size.”
The 2022 event landscape is going to be about taking all of the things we’ve learned during the pandemic about making events safe and consolidating this with the exciting technological advancement that has been accelerated by the pandemic. In reality, where we are now with tech within the live events sector would have taken years, if not decades to develop, and the options and benefits now available to exhibitors, suppliers, and attendees are increasing at a rapid rate.
What are the benefits of exhibiting virtually
- Virtual solutions cost less than exhibiting in person.
Although there are of course many other considerations other than the expense for a business to exhibit at key exhibitions, the cost is always fairly high up on the list. With the live events seasons disrupted by the pandemic, the traditional events calendar landscape has already begun to change. Exhibitions and other live events are a big investment, and businesses are not going to want to risk cancellation. This means historical busy seasons, may cease to exist, with businesses opting to hold events during the safe period of March to November. The high-risk Covid months that we have seen over the last few years from December to February could well be avoided.
The desire to host and attend a live event during this new “safe season”, will mean that the demand for live events will soar, potentially pushing the price up for elements such as space, production, travel and accommodation as businesses need more resources and have to consolidate profit during these busy months.
Adding a virtual solution element to a company events strategy could help bring marketing budgets back in line. - A virtual solution like the VEP enables businesses to attend multiple shows.
Choosing which show to attend, if top shows coincide or overlap will no longer be an issue as your team can be available on video link at the push of a button, in multiple locations. - Virtual attendance will help promote a lower carbon footprint for your business. The Net Zero Carbon Events initiative has already brought more than 200 organisations together to tackle the issue, and “the time for talking is done and the time for action is now” was the message from Mike Seaman, CEO of Raccoon Events, as global event industry leaders spoke at Cop26. This move towards sustainability has led to the creation of organisations such as isla, an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to educating and supporting the industry’s transition to a more sustainable future. Embracing the virtual attendance solutions on offer will limit the need for employee travel, the transport of exhibition solutions and products, accommodation and catering for staff and crew. It will become part of a company’s CSR strategy to demonstrate commitment to tackle climate change and lower its carbon footprint.
- Attendees can choose to connect with the most relevant person in your business.
Getting access to the right person in the business at a live exhibition stand is not easy and the person you need to speak to is often not present. Junior ambassadors are a less costly option for a business, but what is the opportunity cost of not having relevant people available to discuss future work and partnerships? I think With a virtual solution, such as the Noba Virtual Event Pod, attendees can navigate to your stand, learn about your product and connect with the most relevant person within your business. No pushy salesperson in sight, just a brand representative to help you connect to the right person. - A virtual attendance solution requires just one company representative. Reducing the capacity of your business for the duration of an exhibition is understandably a concern for any business owner and a significant cost for an organisation. In an ideal world, you would have the whole team on your stand to ensure you are catering for the requirements of your audience and creating the best match to achieve partnerships and sales. In some markets, delegates are unlikely to engage in great detail with anyone under the director level. This may seem trivial, but highlights the importance of understanding your market and maximising the event as an exercise for your business – getting this wrong can be expensive. With a solution such as The Virtual Event Pod, you don’t have to worry about who you should send to maximise the opportunity of your investment in an event. Choosing your business representative becomes easy, have everyone available at the click of a button. One in-person representation is all that you need to assist attendees with connecting to the best match in your business for them.
- Exhibiting virtually optimises business productivity and promotes employee wellbeing.
Flexible working will become permanent according to a recent article in Forbes,” As we’re preparing to get back to business as usual, it seems professionals don’t want ‘business as usual,'” said Harvard Business School executive director Patrick Mullane. We haven’t gone back to the “old normal” of commuting to work and the usual office meetings and conferences are still remote. One big driver for the change in attitude to work is people questioning their lifelong habit of putting work first. The future of work for the majority is now hybrid, agile and interdependent, as the directive to work from home and adjust the way they work has eliminated the natural human fear of change. A recent PwC survey found that 65 per cent of workers looking for a new job cited more workplace flexibility as the top reason why. Gen Z, the generation primed to take over the workplace in the coming years, even believes that flexibility and adaptability have been the most critical characteristics contributing to workplace success.Businesses must respond by dismantling their outdated routines and redesigning them to prioritise flexibility, agility and collaboration. This means embracing and retaining the technology to reduce time away from home and this includes reducing business travel. - A virtual solution can provide a simple and engaging attendee journey. Technology continues to push boundaries and impact the customer experience, but if you use the hotel and hospitality industry as an example, you can see that it is working in their favour in terms of customer experience. Where convenience is everything, in some hotels you don’t even need a room key, you just access the hotel/your room via your phone.
A virtual solution such as Noba’s Virtual Event Pod provides a seamless attendee experience. They simply scan their QR code on the Pod from their badge or phone. Once verified against the registration database, the visitor will be taken to a welcome page with a list of company representatives. They then simply select the representative they want to talk to and start a video call.
An event host will be on hand to assist visitors on your virtual stand, and technical support will be available throughout the event life cycle; simple, convenient, and engaging.
So, are virtual and hybrid events here to stay?
According to several industry experts, including Lance Fensterman, President of ReedPop, an offshoot of the event giant Reed Exhibitions, the answer is yes. Fensterman predicts that hybrid events are here to stay. He says: “We will always include digital elements in everything we build. Many of our events have historically sold out, and never again will a ReedPop show sell out.”
The Noba Virtual Event Pod (VEP
Frequently Asked Questions
- How does the Virtual Event Pod work?
The VEP is software designed by Noba, for use on an iPad. Exhibitors can engage and interact with visitors remotely via a live video call. The attendee scans their QR code on the VEP from their badge or phone. Once verified against the registration database, the visitor will be taken to a welcome page with a list of company representatives. They then simply select the representative they want to talk to and start a video call. - How does the VEP avoid being the usual passive company shop window that you see with a lot of virtual exhibition solutions?
Many virtual exhibition solutions are just shop windows that might display a product video, have a link to a company website or an option to download a brochure. It’s a very passive experience and not one that engages the attendee or offers them a solution to their individual problem. The VEP is a direct connection to a relevant member of your team, so the experience is interactive and personal. - How do you manage multiple attendees on the virtual stand?
You can have as many pods as you feel you need, they will all have video call functionality, and a system to book calls at a time to suit the attendee. Your brand representative can also help attendees to connect to the right member of your business at a time to suit them. - How can you brand the VEP?
You design an exhibition stand within which to locate your VEP in line with your brand as you would normally. You then simply provide us with your brand assets and we customise the VEP software to your specification. - What connectivity do you need for the VEP?
You can use the show WiFi if it is reliable enough, or we can provide your stand with a WiFi connection using one of Noba’s connectivity solutions. The VEP only requires 2Mbps of bandwidth to run. - What if there are technical problems on the day?
We provide full support for the life cycle of your event. - How much does the VEP cost?
VEP starts at just £800 + VAT.
The Noba’s Virtual Event Pod is a response to the evolution of the working culture. It optimises business productivity and supports employee wellbeing, along with promoting a lower carbon footprint for brands.
The VEP is one of several additions to our products and services, designed in response to the pandemic and the subsequent evolution of the working culture. If you want to explore how to virtually exhibit at an event and still engage with potential clients then book a demo here.
Alternatively, you can call 0345 612 3008 or email hello@localhost, and a member of our friendly team will be in touch.
