We recently had the opportunity to design and implement the Virtual Exhibit Hall for the Florida Podiatric Medical Association’s SAM2021 conference. After the event, we took some time to review all data from the event, including how the number of average leads per company was impacted by a few different factors.
We found this data to be especially interesting believe it will help you, our exhibitor friends, to have more positive experiences while participating in virtual or hybrid events.
Virtual Only vs. Virtual Plus In-Person
Exhibitors that the presence on the trade show floor impacted the likelihood of on-site attendees to click on and interact with the virtual booth of that company.
This could speak to the mind’s propensity to recognize a brand based on repeat visibility (frequency of impressions).
Bingo Prize Giveaway vs. No Bingo Prize
At SAM21, all virtual exhibitors had the option to offer their own Bingo prize inside their virtual booth.
Some exhibitors were unable to participate in prize giveaways based on healthcare regulations and others simply chose not to participate for their own reasons. But those that could/would were encouraged to think outside the box their offers.
Exhibitors that offered a Bingo prize saw 46% more leads on average than those that did not.
Sponsor vs. Non-Sponsor
In this case, “Sponsors” were listed at the top of the exhibit hall webpage, in order of their sponsorship level. Below the sponsor listings, all exhibitors were listed in alphabetical order, including a repeat of the sponsor companies. So, sponsors had two advantages:
  1. they were listed at the top of the webpage
  2. They were listed twice on the page.
It’s often hard to assess if your sponsorship was worth the investment in terms of amount of leads, sales, or impressions. In this case, we saw that sponsors had 24% more leads than non-sponsors. Consider this the next time you are looking over sponsorship opportunities, especially in this virtual or hybrid environment. If a sponsorship virtually is more budget-friendly than a sponsorship on-site, it just may be worth the additional expense!
Custom Booth vs. Simple Booth
When we (PodiatryMeetings.com) hosts a virtual exhibit hall, the design play comes in a big way.
We strongly encourage our exhibitors, and assist them with, designing a truly custom booth that aligns with their brand, as well as their marketing and sales goals.
From time to time, a company may choose instead to go with a “simple” booth. What do we meant by this? In this case, a “simple” booth consisted of a logo formatted to take on the look of a booth backdrop.
There are many reasons why a company may choose a “simple” booth; most often the reason is that the exhibitor ran out of time due to miscommunication within the company, an oversight within the company, or some unforeseeable circumstance including unexpected medical leave.
At PodiatryMeetings.com, we always offer our exhibitors our design services for their booth so they can put their best “foot” forward.
The Bottom Line
When you evaluate an event post-show, be honest about your effort/ presentation compared to other exhibitors. When you participate, check out other virtual booths for ideas for improvement next time. Take full advantage of every feature to truly maximize your return and experience.
Want more? Check out our video on how to put your “Best Foot Forward” at virtual events.