7 Things to Know About Making a Virtual Exhibition Booth

Virtual exhibition booths can be just as effective as the real thing at an on-site conference. You just need to understand how to best use this digital display showcase to highlight your brand at a virtual vendor event. This blog will help you understand how to maximize your investment in a virtual vendor event by creating an eye-catching virtual event booth to capture more of your target audience.

What is a Virtual Exhibition Booth?

A virtual exhibition booth is a fully branded space within a virtual vendor event. Just like a physical booth at an on-site event, the virtual exhibition booth is designed to generate conversation with the attending audience. The digital display may be 3D or just a page-based design, but both can be useful at engaging attendees.

The virtual exhibition booth can work well to help your business stand out at a virtual vendor event. Some of the benefits of a virtual exhibition booth include:

• Lead generation

  In the same way that a live booth can entice conference attendees to buy, a well-designed virtual exhibition booth can draw the eye and create interest in what you’re selling.

• 24/7 access
  

  A virtual event can last longer than an in-person event. You can often allow attendees to access these digital marketing spaces long after a live exhibit call has closed. This creates a convenient on-demand marketing tool that can give real ROI for an extended period.

• Lower cost
  

  Investing in a virtual exhibition booth gives you a good reach for less money over traditional trade shows.

• Larger audience
  

  The digital space naturally opens the door to a wider reach.

Now that you understand why a virtual vendor event can be so beneficial, the next question is how can you make the most of the show? We have seven tips.

How Can You Make Your Virtual Exhibition Booth Stand Out?

Depending upon the vendor you’re using, there are a variety of interactive features you can add to your virtual exhibition booth. This could include static text with logos, banners, video, a live demo, a chatbot—or just about anything else you can think up in the digital medium. But what will make your booth stand out from the competition?

1. Start branding early—and often.
   

   Did you know it takes an average of five to seven interactions with your brand before a company makes the sale? That’s why it’s important to get the word out about your virtual vendor event well before the virtual exhibition booth opens to visitors. Since you’re saving money over an on-site event, why not reach out to conference organizers to see what sponsorship packages they have available?
   You can advertise early on social media and also email anyone in your database that you think might attend. But conference sponsors also often have email packages that you can sponsor that put your brand right in front of conference attendees who register for the event. Highly recommended!

2. Invest time in your virtual exhibition booth design.
   

   Sure, you want your logo prominently displayed in your booth, but you also don’t want to beat your customers over the head with it. A virtual event display is a lot easier to tweak than a physical booth, but keep the design classy by making sure it doesn’t overwhelm. Incorporate your company’s look and feel with color and design but use these marketing elements wisely.

3. Use technology to make your booth visually interesting.
   

   Big tech can help you create a totally immersive experience. It can allow you to interact with groups instead of just individuals. Set up call to actions that engage, such as:
   1. Speaking to a representative via a chat feature.
   2. Watching a product demo.
   3. Downloading a white paper.
   4. Signing up for a professional consultation.

Make sure you do your research on other vendors at the event. How can you make your virtual exhibition booth better and more engaging?

4. Prepare your reps, just as you would for a live event.
   

   Networking is the same no matter where you do it. But since you can’t meet face-to-face to engage customers in your virtual exhibition booth, your approach should require some planning. Your plan should include questions that can start a conversation in the digital space. This could include:
   1. What brought you in today?
   2. Have you heard about our company/product?
   3. What kinds of services are you searching for?
   4. Thanks for stopping by. What questions do you have?
   5. Where are you from?
   6. What attracted you to this virtual vendor event?

5. Send out lots of invitations to visit.
   

   On average, the virtual vendor event attendance is about 40 to 50% of those who register. This means you’ll need to remind your audience repeatedly about your virtual exhibition booth. If your sponsorship includes the attendee email list—perfect. Set up an automated email system that counts down to the show. If someone from your organization is speaking at the conference, you can promote that, as well. For example, your speaker could offer attendees to the lecture a special discount (revealed during the presentation) on your services.

6. Don’t forget to have a virtual check-out.
   

   Eight out of 10 people that attend your virtual vendor event will have buying authority, according to the statistics. One big mistake we see at virtual exhibition booths that sell products is forgetting to add a check-out feature to their space. Make it super easy to sell right on the spot and you’ll pay for your virtual exhibition booth potentially in just a few clicks!

7. Check your metrics and readjust.
   

   Most virtual vendor event platforms have some kind of analytics attached to their software. Use these tools to track audience engagement in real-time and adjust your virtual exhibition booth to increase visibility and participation. Some of the metrics to track include:
   1. The click-thru rates on specific call to action buttons.
   2. How much time a participant is spending at your booth.
   3. Traffic to the virtual vendor event. Are there times of day when it is higher? If so, you can add engaging features to increase your booth visibility during those times.
   4. What kind of response are you getting to your emails? 

Why do we know so much about virtual vendor events? We are Onstream Media, and more than 30,000 companies around the world trust us to help them build their online presence. Talk to us about how we can use the power of digital communications to build your brand.