As the coronavirus spread throughout the world, in 2020, many events were cancelled or postponed. However, a few of them were maintained, but in an online version. How can you attract visitors to a virtual presentation instead of a live one? Here are a few suggestions that may help you out, if you cannot have your guests meet in person again this year.
Fairs and Trade Shows
If your business is based on attendance to your event, finding ways to attract the most people is key. Otherwise, you may find yourself with a kiosk problem over the next few years, with exhibitors unhappy about the price they paid for the visibility they have received. Nothing attracts people more than free products/services or gifts. That is why you should think of offering gift certificates to those who will attend. It can be for the first ones to show up (quantity to be determined by you) or through a lottery, by including all the names of everyone that took part in the event.
There are two things you need to do: First, find an exhibitor who wants to attract more people to his “virtual booth” and have him agree on giving out gift certificates from his company. That way, you won’t have to spend money, and it should be an attractive promotional tool for at least one of your clients exhibiting at the event. The second action you need to take is to find a template gift certificate that will make it look professional and adapted to your event, as well as to the client’s product or service.
Conventions and Conferences
Although it may be a bit easier to get professionals to show up at a virtual convention than for customers to attend a virtual fair or a trade show, it is still hard work. That is because nothing replaces meeting face-to-face and sharing a strong handshake at the end of a conversation, which indicates that both parties are looking forward to continuing to talk and start collaborating.
In this case, you need to make sure to attract two or three important speakers or companies from the industry. The attendees need to feel like it’s a once in a lifetime chance for them to discuss with the person or the representative from these special firms. Anything else won’t generate the attractivity that this will.
Whatever you do, get to work early in the season, way ahead of the dates of your event. It is the only way you will be ready for an uneasy task, even if you have went through the experience in 2020.
