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between the studio and the guests , but also between the guests themselves . In addition , Gripp continues to develop the tool .”
The RAI has also been making online events for its own exhibition titles .
“ Not everyone knows but , in addition to being the building owner , we also own a dozen tradefairs . Focused on national and international B2B , B2G and BTC markets . Think of international titles such as Aquatech Amsterdam , the world ’ s leading water exchange for process , drinking and wastewater that also has spin-offs in Mexico and China .
“ It is important to keep these brands alive and in the spotlight . Starting with the content in mind , we have been looking at the specific needs each target group might have . We were also able to integrate several physical components . Catering companies could order a tasting box for the virtual Horecava at the beginning of February . After that , the visitor could participate online in the live tasting in the Horecava studio .”
Learning points that Dalm picks out from the process of staging online events include :
• Organising an online event is more expensive than many clients think
• You need a lot of knowledge and skills on the operational side , as it is really different from organising a live event
• You have to be much clearer in briefings in the preliminary phase to ensure everything meets the desired requirements . At a physical event you are able to have everything more under control , but from a distance it is much more difficult to manage speakers and guests
• Registration rates are dropping as people tire of digital , so you have to trigger them in the right way .
• Respond in your programme to the latest developments and events .
• Think carefully how to get the highest possible ROI from an online event , so make sure you determine which interactions are needed and how they can be used optimally .
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And just how do you ensure a high ROI ?
“ For an online event we always start from content ,” says Dalm . “ Then comes the question ‘ which target groups do we serve ?’, and then we look at ‘ who are you ?’ You would like to know the questions a visitor brings when joining the online event . And to ensure those needs are met , matchmaking is the key . It is about creating a profile as detailed possible of each visitor . There are still some barriers to obtaining this kind of information , but that is where the solution lies for the future .
“ We are now an event organiser , but we are becoming a data company with large live events . A data-driven organisation that will support physical events . Don ’ t get me wrong , live events remain invaluable .”
Blended events Dalm sees a future movement towards blended events . “ For our tradefairs , it tends to be the CEO or manager who comes . Through the input of digital components we can also create interaction with the people who really work with the products shown at the fair . The CEO is physically there for the networking and the deals , but some of the employees can follow the online
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Above : The venue has a television studio as well as a studio for webinars
“ We are a Champions League-level studio , both technically and operationally . If enormous bandwidth is required for a globally streamed event , that is no problem for us .”
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programme to ask questions or attend information sessions . The result is a much higher ROI for exhibitors . And content can be distributed via different channels afterwards .
“ We also see that local markets especially can make very good use of digital events . When a subject or problem is very topical in a certain region , it is cheaper to organise a digital event around it than a physical variant .”
Dalm answers the question of how the RAI ’ s calendar is shaping up , by saying that , despite being closed since March last year , the company expects to be able to organise full national and international events from October . “ We can also see that in the calendar , because it is completely filled . That is not surprising , because we have been trying to cram 18 months into four this autumn . That is not really possible , so we will see shifts through to mid-2022 .
“ So , for the short term , we are mainly expecting European visitors . It is difficult to gauge how great the demand is from the Americas and Asia and that is why the blended component is so important , because they are definitely interested in these events over there . There may be fewer physical visitors , but there could be three times as many digital visitors .”
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