Resources

The Association of African Exhibition Organisers’ (AAXO), collective concern over the past year switched rapidly from shock to actively seeking solutions within the largely uncertain parameters of Covid-19.

Reigniting the events industry is vital for its impact on networking and lead generation for the many brands and products that rely on the engagement and exposure events bring.

So, while we may have taken a pummelling in the early stages of the pandemic and lockdown, we are by no means out for the count. In fact, it may have taken the industry far longer to implement the digital solutions we have now, had it not been an absolute necessity.

Look and feel of the future of events

The hybrid concept of mixing in-person and live streaming is a valuable “in the meantime” response to taking events to the masses, where current protocols prevent that. I see this as a solution with a bright future, and one that can evolve into great value even when real-life events come back on stream.

The offerings that have been rapidly brought to light at this stage include virtual showrooms for brands and the ability to view goods and services and purchase them via e-commerce.

Post-Covid exhibitions are likely to combine multi-platform, device-agnostic events that run virtual simultaneously with in-person. The key benefit of a multitude of combinations is choice for exhibitors as well as real-time webinars for trading information, where attendees can engage from wherever they are in the world.

From a financial perspective, digital opens up huge opportunities for brands and organisations that are already offering online engagement and transactions, and is likely to drive digital transformation more rapidly in South Africa.

The evolution of opportunity

With the rapid upskilling of staff of all ages because of Covid coupled with the ongoing influx of digital natives to the workplace, opportunity for digital integration removes the restriction of venues, opening doors to every type of event to go hybrid.

Where the initial shock of lockdown brought a sense of despair, the equally speedy positive response is likely to prove invaluable to the exhibitions sector in years to come.

As we refine hybrid offerings, I see the live exhibition becoming more exciting with the backing of its digital counterpart, and profitability – financially and in customer satisfaction – growing.

Where some thought we’d be forced to throw in the towel, I believe now is the time to step into the ring for the full twelve rounds.

Most digital events are finding fostering engagement among event attendees challenging. But it does not have to be. Here are a few tips that I have come across to assist in improved engagement levels.

Think TV production

It does not have to come with the costs of producing for TV but having a plan and being a little more creative makes all of the difference.

The following can really help enhance the experience – scripts, using appealing aesthetics like backgrounds, green screens, adding titles or using translation.  You may want to consider using an MC or experienced presenter to help start conversations.  If your budget allows using a production house can take the pressure off your in-house team as well as raise the bar at your digital event.

Involve your community

To make the most of your live engagement, make sure you invite and bring along those community members that are really engaged and have been adding good value to your existing community.

Try new things when it comes to engagement

Your community are human beings, that just like us are also tired of the same old Zoom sessions. So ensure you are looking for common threads amongst your members and using these to better engage and bring some fun to your event.

Things like quiz sessions, yoga, virtual drinks are just a few that I have seen run successfully to have a bit of a laugh, break the ice and have some fun.  This is often a really simple, inexpensive tool that’s definitely not used enough.

 Create a sense of presence

Ensure you are enticing people to benefit from attending live instead of consuming the content on-demand after the digital event.  Live interaction and Q&A’s are often the most valuable parts of these sessions.   You can always run an on-demand campaign after the digital event but you do want to try and drive as much attendance live to help improve engagement.

Keep improving

The final point is we’re all having to step up, adjust and work harder at everything we do in the context of events.

• Organisers need to be switched on, ensure you are correctly onboarding all stakeholders as well as investing in top notch online experiences.
• Community members need to be open to try and test these new technologies and ensure you are updating your profile with your full info so you’re easily discoverable.
• Sponsors need to understand the tools, technology and platforms that organisers use. They need to be more digitally proactive in engaging the audiences/prospects with the use of those tools.

By Chanelle Hingston – Group Director, Clarion Events Africa

Like many of you, we too have been navigating our way in understanding how to deliver value to our customers through digital platforms.  I would like to share some key learnings that have come from moving from our live event model to a digital format.

1. Content is (still) king. Tip: ‘Conversation NOT Presentation’.

Content is the main reason for attending virtual events. Networking and exhibiting elements cannot be well replicated from live events. Ensure you are delivering higher quality, more independent content with an ‘audience first’ mind-set that helps to deliver true value to our attendees. Stylistically, ‘Conversation not presentation’ is a key, especially with there being so much webinar fatigue.

2. 365 engagements is the new normal. Tip: cater for all personas.

An annual, digital editorial calendar should be designed to support and structure audience and sponsor engagement programmes all year around. This approach allows our event brands to better integrate digital solutions into sponsor campaigns which have previously been dominated by, or exclusively, live events. All key persona’s should be engaged throughout the year through targeted and niche “gatherings”.

3. Market/Customer focus creates competitive advantage. Tip: get on the phone and into data.

Constantly talking to our audience (buyers & vendors) creates competitive advantage with better, more relevant products for our markets. ‘Quick and easy’ content, via desk research without actually understanding the key challenges and opportunities in our markets will not make you stand out.

The rush of the in-person experience might be making a comeback, but don’t drop the ball on digital.  Learn how to use it to better to enhance your in-person experience or else you may soon be left behind.

By Chanelle Hingston – Group Director, Clarion Events Africa