Most independent event managers will undertake at most a handful of trade shows a year, but usually one or two. What do I mean by independent event managers? Those event managers saw a gap in their local market and developed a trade show to fill it. These are usually niches within a larger sector that have developed in importance due to market shifts. For example, fracking was in its infancy 30 years ago but is now a growing area in the oil sector.
As a result, I am not going to provide advice on all the bells and whistles options of software packages but rather discuss the middle of their pricing range that accommodates a once-off event or up to 5 events annually. So, this blog will cover the Top 10 Tips on How To Select Virtual Software For Trade Shows.
The tips are meant to offer insights and raise questions for you to consider that will best meet your event as you choose virtual software.
For the event groups, of which there are several in Australia, the UK, Germany and the USA, they are running events of at least 2 to 3 a week. They have an advantage when selecting the top-of-the-range price point in virtual software. Let’s focus here on the smaller entrepreneurial groups, their clients, and their concerns when selecting virtual software for their events, be it either virtual or hybrid events.
Tip 1 – Flexibility and Usability
The nature of virtual does mean that accessibility to a tradeshow is beyond the natural borders that come with a live event. Irrespective of whether the tradeshow is a B2B or consumer is scalability. Read How To Make The Most Of B2B Events in Australia.
How many people can access the platform at one time?
Check whether the package you select can accommodate time differences. Does the software send invites to the agenda, be it Gmail or Outlook?
How easy is it to understand and customise? Customise in this context is your trade show branding. Can you make it look and feel as close to a live event as possible?
Tip 2 – Price Points
Can you select a monthly as well as an annual option?
Some software options only offer an annual membership. I would steer away from those as you’re locked in at an expensive price point for the year. Instead, test the software monthly before selecting the annual option if you have sufficient events to justify the ROI.
Is the price visible, or do you need to email them to receive a quotation? I personally don’t like the later option. Why can’t they be transparent about what you will receive for the price upfront? It makes me think, what are they hiding?
Check if support is included in the price point you are selecting. Sometimes, they make the usage affordable, but the support functionality is loaded. Did I say loaded with ‘000s?
How many visitors are included in your package? What is the price for each visitor over the package allotment, and is it per day or session?
Tip 3 – Visitor Experience
It’s all about the visitor experience. It’s easy to get caught up as the organiser or exhibitor in learning how to use your space but do keep top of mind: What is the delegate experiencing?
Is registration easy? Does the registration require an image to be uploaded? This is not necessary, but it makes it so much easier for exhibitors, sponsors, attendees, and organisers to search through faces than a sea of names.
Do the software support different ticket types that visitors can register for?
How easy is it for visitors to access the app both on laptops and mobiles?
As an organiser, how can you make their visit fun and interactive? Does the software you’re selecting support quizzes, Q&As, questionnaires, etc.? Can you run gamification within the app, or do you need to purchase another integrated app? A word of caution with gamification. Look at your visitor profile to determine whether gamification would be used and valued.
Can visitors vote during speaker presentations?
How easily can visitors ask questions of speakers?
Can visitors personalize the agenda to their unique areas of interest?
Is there a matchmaking service on the app that encourages and makes networking easier?
Can the app support more than one language, if necessary?
Networking Functionality
Most visitors attend events because of the networking opportunities. They want to hear from other people who are experiencing the same issues they are and find out whether they have a better solution to their burning problem.
Does the software allow for live breakout rooms? How easy are they to join and interact?
Can you set up exclusive breakout rooms with invite-only attendees? Can these be sponsored and branded?
Can you provide certain content to previous attendees as a reward?
Tip 4 – Speaker
Is the speaker functionality easy to navigate and understand?
Having experienced presenting at a virtual event, it was very disconcerting presenting as I only saw my presentation on the screen and not any of the visitors. When presenting, you need to be able to read an audience to see whether you’re hitting the spot or you need to adapt.
Can the speakers pre-record their presentation, and can it be loaded on the software? This is important when you’re running global events across many time zones. You don’t want your visitors to see a bleary-eyed speaker at 1 am his time.
Can you or they load up their presentations beforehand, or do you need to wait till the allotted time slot to do so?
Tip 5 – Exhibitors
Does the customisation facility allow exhibitors to create a mini virtual stand themselves?
Is there an opportunity for you to sell other add-ons, such as video shorts between speaking slots (essentially ads)?
What info can they add to their stand? Does it include videos, brochures, links to, e.g., YouTube, images, etc.?
How do exhibitors see and interact with visitors?
What is visible to visitors of an exhibition stand? Can they tailor the exhibition map to their needs?
Provide your exhibitors with visitor logins so they can test from both perspectives. From our other guides, you can read How to Improve Your Selection of Trade Shows.
Tip 6 – Analytics
The reporting functionality across most software options is roughly the same. They measure the level of interaction of visitors, how many visitors come to an exhibition stand, etc.
However, find out whether there is any customisation available. This is helpful if your sponsor sponsors your event for a particular reason and requires in-depth statistics that the current options don’t cover.
Most apps have social media integrations that allow for postings, walls, etc. Remember to add them to your analytics for sponsors and exhibitors.
Tip 7 – Sponsorship
Does the software you select allow for sponsorship branding, a tiered system of sponsorship, and more functionality than for exhibitors?
Can sponsorship branding be added throughout the app?
What does the app offer to make sponsors get the maximum ROI?
Tip 8 – Integration with other Software
Can the app you’ve selected integrate with your CRM, mailing options like Mailchimp, etc.? It makes life so much easier rather than having to manually add a field in your CRM to denote their attendance to separate communication from the rest of your CRM.
Is a secure payment option available at registration?
Is the app compliant with personal information laws across different countries?
Tip 9 – Technical Support
Some of the apps focus heavily on technical support. I would personally steer away from those options as they’re admitting you’re going to need their help beyond the norm. We’ve all become more IT savvy with all the apps available to us that we’ve learned to navigate.
I would suggest instead asking whether you can test the app before buying. This will provide you with insights and comparisons with others to see which provides you with the best value for money and functionality that you need.
Read their guides and watch any videos before making up your mind. How easy was it to understand? Measure how easy it will be for your exhibitors, sponsors, and visitors to use the app after watching the videos.
Tip 10 – Video Recording
This facility is a very handy one for a number of reasons. It’s great to provide sponsors with video recordings after the event if they have a speaking slot. They can then use the analytics you provide as well as the recording to analyse the responses to develop post-event marketing that will resonate.
For organisers, you can post and sell the videos on your YouTube channel afterwards. Ensure you have signed off agreements with speakers beforehand.
Conclusion
Before selecting your app of choice, ask yourself, “Is this app providing an experience as close to a live event as possible?”
I personally believe that apps are an added functionality to a live event rather than a replacement. Visitor and exhibitor experiences are different, and I’ve received a similar comment over and over again “It’s not the same”.
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Virtual Event Software to consider (in no particular order)
