Mapping new customer touchpoints
The Exhibition Think Tank ( ETT ) Club recently published the findings from its research into discovering key tradeshow customer touchpoints . EW looks at the genesis of that project
ollowing the October 2020 Exhibition Think Tank ( ETT ) looking into the question of new tradeshow customer touchpoints , the ETT Club , an industry innovation platform , organised a panel discussion to present some of the group ’ s findings . This project was suggested by the ETT group ‘ Exhibitions in Training ’, who posited that , if our industry is changing , and the format of events we offer changes too , there will be new touchpoints between customers , and also between us and customers .
The Think Tank events included two sprints , making a total of three online sessions and two group work phases in between . Of the eleven ETT groups who joined the October Think Tank ( more than 100 participants ), four also took part in the panel discussion in December to present their findings : Event Boyz , VaPor , Eventgers and Strong Girlz + 1 .
The following group leaders presented their respective team ’ s work : Stephanie Selesnick , president , International Trade Information
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Inc . ( Strong Girlz + 1 ); Mark Parsons , MD and founder , Events Intelligence ( VaPor ); Nicole Peck , VP of marketing , events , IDG Communications , Inc . ( Eventgers ) and Mike Frost , cofounder , Expocast ( Eventgers ) and Berislav Čižmek , founder and CEO , CBBS ( Event Boyz ).
The December session started with a summary of the results of two surveys organised for the October Think Tank . The first was about visitors and how their behaviour might change after the Covid-19 crisis . The results indicated that visitors will become more discerning in future and will demand more content and more reasons to attend . They will also want to join more digital formats .
The second survey covered exhibitors and how exhibitor behaviour will change after the Covid-19 crisis . The results showed that exhibitors will dedicate more resources to upskilling themselves . If marketing budgets don ’ t increase , money will be shifted from exhibitions and towards creating digital products . The ETT group leaders then
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Left : Survey results – How much will the customer journey change ? presented their work . Event Boyz Group , led by Berislav Čižmek , focused on mapping the live and digital visitor journey . By creating ‘ personas ’ and looking at the different stages of the journey , his group found an increasing number of touchpoints that will not be easy for organisers to fulfil . They also noted that postshow communication remains key . The group concluded that the event industry should be open to adapting , depending on feedback received after a show . They believe show content will become even more relevant , event quality will be a key factor , and everybody should be encouraged to find ways to monetise the digital model .
“ Organisers have to find out how to offer digital options and how to monetise them , otherwise the money will go to other companies .” Čižmek said .
Mark Parsons ’ VaPor group re-thought the concept of what a ‘ touchpoint ’ was exactly , and proposed that we should review and use them in a different way . After discussing 14 different ways to communicate with customers , they realised that the mix of communication channels has changed significantly during lockdown .
So , where do we focus our attention ?
There are new ways of doing things , new objectives and a total of 41 new touchpoints were identified . Chatroulette ( an online chat website for webcam-based conversations ) for B2B , for example , makes it possible to break down the fourth wall between exhibitors and attendees , and to create a one-to-one meeting format . Digital concierge / online butler services make it possible to
26 Issue 1 2021 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk