Virtual Tech Fairs - Accelerating Software Selection

You love to network, want to know what is happening in your industry, like to meet interesting people, and visit exhibits. BUT you hate to travel, stay in lonely hotel rooms, battle traffic, pay exorbitant prices for everything, stand in long lines, scurry to food stands and rest rooms and bear the time spent out of the office. Well, say goodbye to the hassles and hello to the Virtual Tech Fair (VTF).

The virtual tech fair and online shows are starting to pop up everywhere. What are they? How do they work? Should we consider attending? OR should we consider sponsoring one?

These are the important questions. So let’s start at the beginning. Attendance at many conventions and Tech Fairs has been in decline for a while and 9/11 quickened the pace. Sponsors have been scrambling to find alternatives that will preserve the best features of an in-person event and eliminate most of the negatives. Given the advances being made in the world of technology, this should be possible.

A number of vendors have created platforms to support a “trade show” motif – also known as the virtual tech fair. The idea is to make it easy for a producer of a traditional event to easily move to an interactive environment with the least hassle possible. The simplest way to explain a VTF is to think of it as a very sophisticated website that allows visitors to experience a Tech Fair from their office or home.

Benefits and Opportunities

In today’s business market there are hundreds of wonderful opportunities to choose from – in fact there are too many. How do you allocate scarce time and money to decide what trade show to attend – both as an exhibitor and attendee? You want to find the perfect fit of networking and sales opportunities, a great value for your limited budget and the ability to meet with who you need to meet with, when you need to meet with them. The VTF eliminates the logistical barriers from attending a show.

Now consider an online or virtual tech fair. Both exhibitors and attendees can be there through the magic of the internet without leaving town.

Through the use of electronic conferencing and interactive Voice Over IP (sending and receiving voice over the Internet), it is possible to have group meetings and discuss subjects just as if you were in person.

As an attendee, you can pick up literature in a briefcase for later reading. Only everything is in an electronic format. There is no waste and the exhibitors never run out. You can leave your business card behind and schedule an appointment for some future date – hopefully at your home office. If you are very impressed by one of the live education presentations, most platforms will provide an archived version that you can listen to it again, this time with your staff. Now everyone in the company can benefit from the great programs being presented.

If you are interested in attending a virtual event and seeing what it is like, there will be a free, interactive Tech Fair on September 12 and13, 2006. It is focused on distribution technology. You can experience the best elements of a live Tech Fair over the Internet. There will be product demos, networking, education and you can even enter a drawing for show prizes. The keynote will be given by Adam Fein, Ph.D., an industry leader and a fellow of the Distribution Research and Education Foundation. He will address “Embracing Changing Technology.”

You can register for free at www.virtualtechfair.com. Then participate. Not only will you learn about technology and your business, you will experience the virtual environment. Then you will be ready to answer the most important question of all: “can I use this platform to increase my business?”

If you ever have selling shows, this may be worth considering. Your suppliers will appreciate the savings and your customers can see more in less time. One of my clients did a show to sell hardware supplies to small retail stores. They found there was over a 40 percent increase in new items being purchased by existing customers.

Greater penetration into their existing market was a wonderful surprise. It turns out the sales people keep selling what has worked in the past. These new opportunities will mean increased business on a continuing basis. It also allowed many new prospects to see the broad range of products and discuss specifics with the suppliers.

Suppliers were thrilled with the value of the products sold. Their costs were a fraction of previous shows and the returns were greater. As an added benefit, the distributor sponsoring the show got a big publicity boost in the industry. It just does not get much better.

According to John Grosshandler, inXpo Show Strategist (inXpo is a provider of virtual show platforms), “our experience is that anyone who has done an in-person event will benefit from a virtual event. If you have more than 12 major suppliers and want to reach an audience of over 500 prospects and customers, you may be a candidate for sponsoring your own show.”

As you will see by visiting the Distribution Industry Tech Fair, there can be different types of booths. As a sponsor, you can charge a premium for size, placement, and functionality. Plus there are advertising opportunities with “jumbotron” images and scrolling messages.

Could this be part of your future? The answer is a definite maybe. Those who get out there first, will gain the added advantage of being seen as progressive and in the forefront of technology. If that is important to you and your image, now is the time to start investigating the possibilities.

So, check out the distribution industry tech fair, think about the possibilities for yourself, and then give me a call, I love to talk to readers about the possibilities.

About Steve Epner

Steve Epner has been directing traffic on the information super highway since 1966. A highly regarded industry expert, Epner is widely published and has provided comment for national business publications including the Wall Street Journal. His experience in business, technology and strategic planning makes him a nationally renowned technical speaker. Epner can be reached at sepner@bswllc.comor 314.983.1214.

About Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group

St. Louis based Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group, founded in 1976, is an independent, full-service technology consulting firm. For more information visit www.software4distributors.com or call 888.279.2792.
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