Events have always contributed to Marketing strategies and goals, especially with regard to brand positioning, lead generation – that is, potential customers and, consequently, new business, and relationships. But, according to the latest events, which required social distancing, technological advances have been overwhelmingly incorporated into this type of strategy.
According to ABRAPE (Brazilian Association of Event Promoters), more than 350,000 events were canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, drastically affecting the entertainment area, generating an estimated loss of R$ 90 billion. But, as the show cannot stop, the events were forced to migrate to the online environment and continue, in a way, to this day.
100% digital or hybrid meetings have become a reality and it is up to us to enhance the public’s experience both in person and at a distance. In a study carried out by Avantgarde, 99.2% of respondents said they had participated in some digital event related to brands in the last six months, such as lives, webinars, congresses or virtual conventions, even with the end of restrictions.
In this new format, we can highlight some benefits, such as increasing the reach of your brand awareness (this is undeniable!), the possibility of interacting with your audience through virtual room’s and, in this way, avoiding distractions and making the most of the possibility of understanding the need and, thus, generating more business, as well as promoting the generation of qualified leads, especially when the events are paid.
Everything in life has both sides of the coin and this case was no different. Have you ever wondered how much these digital platforms have grown and profited from this “sudden” acceleration? Well, according to Startse, the Zoom tool had a growth of more than 168% in revenue compared to the same period in 2019. Analysts estimated a revenue of US$ 202.7 million, but the company’s result exceeded expectations, reaching US$ 328.2 million. Already Microsoft had about 32 million daily active users in Teams and jumped to 75 million in weeks and today that number may have already doubled or even tripled.
Now, the challenge for companies is to capture the attention of their audience, as the probability of dispersion is vastly greater in these cases due to the countless distractions that we have in our daily lives, whether due to the countless emails we receive, meetings unexpected events and internal chats, among other ways. This is where technology innovations come in, which can help capture attention with immersive experiences through Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, for example, allowing the public even when online, to visit and interact with exhibitors at a fair.
The possibilities are endless, from the simplest ones, such as providing a virtual audience at a meeting, making everyone participate in the event in a more interactive way, as well as adopting a more dynamic format through several free platforms, allowing for a more productive exchange. . Or separate individual rooms by interest and target audience, bringing a more strategic and even more elaborate exchange, in addition to being able to take a chance on the Metaverse – the new technology that is on the rise, simulating reality in a shared virtual environment to bring a immersive feeling of that event.
The last few years have been one of changes with new opportunities emerging in digital. Therefore, I recommend taking advantage of this new wave, which is a reality. Study the trends that are out there and the feasibility of applying them according to your reality and strategy, test your audience and analyze the results. The 100% digital and hybrid events combined with new technologies allow possibilities that go to the limit of your creativity, or, often, your budget.
Fernando Barradas is Head of Marketing, Communication and Sales Operation at Engineering
Image: Pexels
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