As a new year gets underway, David Chalmers (pictured), senior marketing director, Europe at cvent, inspires the industry.
The best exhibitions in 2018 will be those which really try to harness the importance and power of the human connection and live events. It’s obvious that what drives a returning exhibitor is the value of business connections made at the show, whether through appointments, visitors or networking. capturing data, analysing it and supplying the very best mobile apps and content that makes the life of every attendee of value from the moment they sign up to attend.
It will also be about making the experience at the exhibition memorable and fun - so that it works both for those exhibiting as well as those only visiting and not overtly about hard and overly pushy sales techniques. Gamification at exhibitions is rising in popularity and it’s easy to see why as it enhances the networking experience as well as giving a buzz and boosting energy levels throughout the event.
Plus, there needs to be more done to create an additional buzz on social media platforms: why not reward delegates for being socially active and engaged throughout the event. Exhibitors could create a simple easy way for participants to share their game success via mobile apps which encourage people to post and aggregate across different social channels.
More on the industry’s Past, Present & Future on p44 in 2018 | Issue 1 of EW (stay posted for the feature!)
