Digital solutions
The time is coming for real digital alternatives
JONATHAN DUFTON SAYS VIRTUAL EVENTS ARE NOT THE ANSWER AND ASKS, WHAT IS?
hese past months have seen
the first virtual editions of
the world’s largest
tradeshow, the Canton Fair,
and one of the largest technology
conferences, Web Summit’s ‘Collision
from Home’. While it is an achievement
that, in little over three months, both
these events, along with many others
impacted by Covid-19, have developed a
digital equivalent to serve their
communities, the virtual event model is
still to be cracked successfully.
A successful physical event combines
multiple elements: conferences focus more
on speakers and content, while
tradeshows have a greater focus on the
exhibition floor to showcase and discover
products and connect buyers with sellers.
Both meet a strong need for networking.
Virtualising conference content is more
straightforward, and webinars and live
streaming are well established. However,
replicating the experience of a tradeshow
floor online requires more than creating
a virtual floor plan, a booth with product
listings and a chat box. And, despite the
emergence of AI-powered matchmaking
solutions, recreating face-to-face
networking remains a challenge.
Some of these challenges are technical
in nature. It has taken a pandemic for
event technology to really think what the
right digital solution is for participants
(as illustrated by Web Summit’s decision
to develop its own platform for ‘Collision
from Home’), and better solutions should
continue to emerge.
However, other challenges are more
intrinsic to the digital world. The
decision of an individual to attend a
physical event drives the commitment
and urgency to meet and interact with
others. In an online environment, this
time sensitivity disappears, and the
overall proposition weakens.
Furthermore, lessons learned from
digitisation in adjacent sectors should be
heeded for organisers launching virtual
events.
Once freed from the constraints of the
physical version, there is no reason why
Jonathan Dufton is
a director at Plural
Strategy www.
pluralstrategy.com
Post Covid-19, leading organisers will be offering a combination of digital services to
provide a holistic marketing and sourcing solution to customers
Objective
Overview
Example
opportunities
Enhancing the at-show
value proposition
Using global digital
technology to support
customer objectives for
exhibiting/attending events
(pre-, at and post-show)
• Matchmaking tools
• Directories
• Event planning
tools/apps
Replicating participants’
show objectives
Digital alternatives to
physically exhibiting/
attending events
• Digital marketplaces
• Lead generation platforms
• Performance marketing
• Online learning platforms
Extending the show
value proposition
Digital information and
software services addressing
participant needs not covered
by events
• Subscription news and
content platforms
• Sourcing workflow
software
• Pricing benchmarks
the digital version should look the same.
The digital equivalent of a trade
publication could become specialised
news portals, a data business or a job site;
the high street and shopping malls have
become social networks and
marketplaces, and training courses have
become unbundled into online learning
platforms. Building digital equivalents of
physical events without understanding
the objectives of customers and the
resulting digital need risks the threat of
losing out to a native solution.
Some organisers are starting to
respond to this threat: Informa has
partnered with the e-commerce platform
NuOrder for its fashion retail portfolio,
while IMC launched a B2B e-commerce
division through the acquisitions of
Pharos and RepZio.
Given the unique value of the physical
event experience, it is likely that
face-to-face events will return as soon as
they are safe to do so. The format of these
events will evolve, incorporating hybrid
digital elements to adapt to the post
Covid-19 environment, but also with the
continued development and uptake of
digital tools that can improve the
effectiveness of the in-person experience.
However, in the mid-term, we will see
the emergence of real digital alternatives.
The diversity of industries means the
solution, be it digital marketing services,
lead generation platforms, digital
marketplaces, online networking,
e-learning, sales and marketing
enablement data or more, will be different
for a US retail event vs. a manufacturing
event in Germany.
What is not in doubt is that event
organisers who invest in digital capability
and meld the right digital offering with
their events by understanding their
audience needs will emerge as the
winners in the next era of the events
industry.
10 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 108