As in-person exhibitions return to our calendars, organisers are turning to 3D virtual exhibition software to establish hybrid conferencing that maximises the user experience and sponsor value. Virtual congress environments provide brands with added value opportunities, increased brand awareness, and expanded delegate audiences that can push sponsor revenues sky high. Here’s how:
Increased exhibition capacity
For the first time, hybrid events that combine in-person experiences with 3D virtual exhibition software, provide the opportunity for increased delegate reach without geographic restriction. This means attracting a delegate audience from the global marketplace, capturing digital delegate data, and increasing the overall reach of your event. In turn, this reach can be harnessed to benefit sponsors and your sponsorship packages.
New sponsorship opportunities:
Unlike in-person exhibitions where your footprint is restricted or extended based on cost, your virtual conference space is fully elastic. This offers digital opportunities that can’t be replicated in the physical space, such as:
- Dedicated sponsorship areas: from a full wrap of the outside of the building, to visual merchandising with your sponsor’s brand colours, the possibilities are pretty much endless.
- Timed sponsorship opportunities: in a physical space, branding is fixed and logistically needs to remain for the full event. In a virtual space, sponsorship can be time- or location-bound, meaning you can offer sponsorship for as little as an hour, or change sponsorship based on type of content or location. This creates much more targeted opportunities, giving brands more control over who sees their sponsorship and where. It also allows packages to be developed for smaller sponsors and added value packages for exhibitors too.
- Targeted networking: as well as allowing delegates free-rein to “bump into” each other and network in a virtual plane, you can actually select and schedule networking tables based specifically on brands, job titles, or personal interests. It means your sponsors can request meetings with specific target delegates, and can schedule meetings with those specific individuals
- Digital engagement: the digital space means that sponsors can go beyond the confines of their exhibition stand and sponsor logos, sharing content that works in a virtual exhibition Product demonstrations, adverts, digital billboards, live content, and even person-to-person video chat can all take place in the virtual arena, supporting sponsor value and connectivity.
Evergreen content:
Providing a dedicated exhibitor and delegate experience that can last for months or even years, virtual exhibitions support a holistic and comprehensive approach to managing follow-ups and content sharing. Private messaging, content hosting, networking and business card swapping all make content retention more effective, supporting exhibitor and sponsor return on investment.
Supporting sponsors
Virtual conferences, or hybrid in-person virtual trade exhibitions or virtual congress provide plenty of scope for enhancing the opportunities for sponsors and deliver great value. They can also be used to make sponsor content more relevant, tailored, and engaging for delegates, enabling networking and one-to-one connections to be built too. In the typical virtual exhibition platform, areas which can support sponsor branding include:
- Digital ticketing, pre-registration and all communications
- Online exhibit hall
- Main stages and lecture theatres
- Networking spaces
- Social media channels
- Rotating ad banners promoting breakouts
- Gamification with sponsor messaging; and
- Digital show bags where attendees store event content of interest
Virtual events: supported by Gravit8
Gravit8 are market-leaders in exhibition tech and engagement software that boosts the quality and commercial value of your exhibitions. Our 3D Virtual Event Software can be used to create virtual exhibitions and virtual congress events that you can design yourself, or we provide a custom platform service to fully tailor your experience. Speak to our team today on 0808 164 2323
