As show managers expand into virtual events to supplement existing events or create new products altogether, much attention is paid to constructing the environment and filling it with content and attendees. No less important is making sure the virtual exhibit hall is as vibrant and well-attended as it can be. Part of this responsibility lies on the exhibitor, and with some help from the show’s producer, exhibitors can contribute to a dynamic and crowded exhibit experience.

Lithium, a provider of social CRM services, debuted its Social CRM Virtual conference in November 2009. The event was designed to help establish Lithium as not just a vendor for the industry, but to take a “visionary position” in the marketplace, says Dan Ziman, senior director of marketing programs at Lithium.

The show was not designed to be particularly big—out of 2,300 registrants about 1,300 showed up. There were 10 booths, a benchmark that was purposely set, says Ziman, to keep the exhibit hall manageable for attendees.

Ziman says that the virtual format was not a difficult sell. Most exhibitors had heard enough about virtual shows that they were curious and enthusiastic about giving it a try. Yet, Ziman found that some exhibitors needed more hand-holding than others to get their materials into the virtual event service provider.

Keep the Booth Well Stocked and Staffed

Ziman encouraged exhibitors to lead with a flashy video at the booth to “grab the attendee and help them understand what [the vendor] was all about,” he says. From there, Ziman made sure each exhibitor had plenty of marketing collateral—from brochures to whitepapers—available for download. An absolute must was to have the booth staffed at all hours. “We were very adamant they were staffed the whole time the event was on,” says Ziman. “They see people are showing up and it gives them the opportunity to say hi and communicate. Otherwise, it’s like showing up at a live
booth and seeing the sign that says, ‘Be back at 1:00.’”

Lithium also set up a resource area which gave sponsors a separate opportunity to feature between five and ten assets.

In all, attendees averaged 126 minutes at the show. “We ran two five-hour events back-to-back, once an attendee came on they stayed for two hours,” says Ziman.

The exhibit hall recorded a total of 831 visits out of the 1,300 that showed up—and most booths had between 300 and 400 visits, according to Ziman.

Overall, Ziman says his reps were comfortable in the virtual environment, as were the attendees. “People felt comfortable,” he says. “It was an easy way to get a lot of info in a short period of time. The virtual event has that aura like a live event where customers are willing to talk.”