World - A study from the Centre for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has found that more than half of exhibition professionals consider digital marketing as vital to the success of live events.
According to the report, put together by the CEIR and marketing agency George P. Johnson, 40 per cent of us believe digital media is a ‘vital’ component and 17 per cent consider it a ‘lead tactic’, while email, with 95 per cent of he vote, is viewed as the most-used digital media by exhibition production teams.
Webinars are seen as the most common virtual events in the exhibition marketplace according to 81 per cent of the exhibitors and exhibition planners, and more than 70 per cent of us use virtual media to communicate with distant customers or to manage geographically scattered workforces.
CEIR president Doug Ducate compared exhibitions to digital marketing channels, saying both were "rooted in communities of interest, dialogue, relationships, interactivity and highly personalised experiences".
"What's more, each channel eliminates the inherent weakness of the other: digital expands the reach of the live experience while events facilitate the face-to-face contact critical to forging real relationships," he says.
