In this era of virtual and hybrid events, exhibitors are spending less dollars to participate in trade shows. We have little-to-no travel, shipping, or furniture display costs. Eventually, when on-site shows are more of the norm, we will be allotting dollars for these costs again… but for the time being you can use your saved dollars to attend more virtual shows and experience new events that you normally wouldn’t have the budget for.
This is an exciting time to try new things because each event brings a new audience, giving you “new blood” to expose your brand to.
Michael Friedman of Redi-Thotics wrote an article for us (pre-COVID) about how he considers trade show expenses as advertising expenses, same as a print or online ad. Check it out here: https://podiatrymeetings.com/2020/03/15/a-new-way-to-think-about-exhibiting-costs-michael-friedman-of-redi-thotics/
Like any online marketing, one of the best difference is that with virtual trade shows, you can actually see how many people you talked to (clicks). Keeping track of hard data like that is more difficult face-to-face. Obviously, there are a lot of pros of on-site marketing, but it is just as important to realize the value of different types of data from virtual events.
Now more than ever, exhibitors must be everywhere to maximize exposure and relevance to ensure you stay top of mind when podiatrists are ready to place their orders.