Event Tech
Tech tools on the showfloor
Tech correspondent Joe Gallop hears from exhibition organisers about their use of digital tools on the trade show floor , how the sector is evolving , and the challenges and results they have seen
he past 12 months have
T seen the exhibition sector develop at a rapid pace in terms of digital tools used on the show floor . Among recent innovations is RX ’ s Colleqt QR , where visitors can now capture information about RX exhibitors , sponsors , and their products by scanning QR codes at stands and at product feature zones with their mobile phones . They now get immediate access to information via their phones and receive a personalised email at the end of each day , listing all the exhibitors and products they scanned , with clickable links to contacts for followup .
RX has also developed a lead manager app , Emperia , which enables exhibitors to scan attendees ’ badges to collect “ smarter and richer ” data and qualify leads on the go . Gaby Appleton , RX ’ s chief digital product officer , says : “ As consumers , we are all getting used to nearconstant connectivity , being able to do most things on our mobile phones , and having convenient and seamless user experiences when we use a new piece of software . Trade shows should be no different . We also all get frustrated by having to download yet another app onto our phones . So , our focus has been on how to harness recent advances in technology to solve what have been quite longstanding pain points in the digital trade show experience .”
Improving the exhibitor experience has also been a focus at RX , explains Appleton : “ How do we help them know which of the thousands of visitors to a show scanned their QR codes ? Can we do a better job in tracking new potential
Left to right : Christine Flanagan , Gaby Appleton , Rakim Asher
“ We ’ ve come far since business cards in a goldfish bowl ” leads than their own websites , or their own people handing out brochures ?
Because we run on a connected ecosystem of applications , and because we know who all the visitors to our shows are , we can identify visitors who scanned a particular exhibitor and provide that information in real time back to the exhibitor team , alongside all the other leads they collected from the show . This can be a huge improvement on exhibitors ’ own marketing websites which often don ’ t successfully identify all the traffic .”
“ Colleqt has helped increase the number of leads captured for each exhibitor , particularly when a stand has been really busy and there haven ’ t been salespeople available to talk with every interested visitor ,” says Appleton . “ We are also able to offer visitors choice as to which of the exhibitor materials they want to take home on their phones – it doesn ’ t have to be a one-size-fits-all brochure and tote bag .
Digital transformation Global exhibition organiser CloserStill head of digital and CRM Rakim Asher says the business has gone through a “ huge data and digital transformation ” over the past 18 months . One of the key areas it has focused on is its physical on-site digital tech stack . “ We ’ ve significantly slashed our onsite print costs – most of our events do not have showguides anymore ,” says Asher .
Around 80 % of CloserStill ’ s events now use event apps . The organiser works with two main suppliers – Swapcard , which Asher says has “ significantly improved ” its on-site engagement – and Sector Global – a web app which facilitates one-to-one meetings at a high VIP level .
Asher adds that CloserStill is working closely with its registration providers to integrate them into
48 Issue 3 2024 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk