5 must-have functionalities in virtual expos

Organising an expo virtually at the convenience of sitting at the office might seem effortless and easy, but that is not the reality. It takes an equal level of effort to plan and organise an in-person event. 

If it is choosing the venue for an in-person event, it is researching and selecting the virtual event platform for the virtual event. So the level of work and effort is similar in both the forms of the event. 

A successful virtual expo needs a blend of countless features, efforts and elements to ensure the best ROI for the organisers, participating brands/businesses and attendees. 

This article will take you through the importance of a virtual event platform for a successful virtual expo and better understand how you can pull a great expo.

Finding the right virtual event platform

Organising an expo on a virtual platform rather than a physical one comes with extraordinary advantages, including designing the venue and stalls, real-time communication, immersive networking options, and the best data collection and analytics. Choose a 3D immersive event platform where you can provide your participants with life over a screen and let the attendees enjoy all the immersive experiences similar to an in-person expo. 

Recently, many businesses and trade show organisers are keenly taking their expos to a virtual or a hybrid mode. Along with more remarkable experiences for the participants, virtual expos come with many benefits, including increased participation, reaching global participants, minimised expenses, improved lead collection, and in-depth data collection and analysis. 

All these benefits can be made possible only with the help of the virtual event platforms' innovative features, integrations and customisation.  

5 must-have functionalities

1. Immersive 3D BillBoards

‍Expos need to have specific space for the sponsor and exhibitor lists, through which the attendees can search through the brands and their products/services and access their booths. There can be space for advertisement banners in the lobby, networking room and other common areas. 

2. Virtual exhibition hall

‍The virtual format of the exhibition hall should virtually entice the audience. It should be customisable and allow the brands and sponsors to add their branding, which ultimately helps them increase their brand awareness. The virtual exhibition hall should replicate the physical exhibition hall where the attendees can move through and check the stalls, and the brands can display and show product demos to the visitors. 

3. Virtual Exhibitor booths

‍Exhibitor booths are the most essential feature of a virtual expo. The booth should have all the necessary features and integrations like 

• 3D/2D product/service live display and demonstration, 
• Real-time communication options like chat options, meeting rooms, live call options, 
• Options for downloadable exhibitor documents like brochures, product videos, pick-up & drop cards, and other downloadable exhibitor documents,
• Options to collect inbound leads by integrating a form that collects the contact information from the visitors and saves them in their database. Exhibitors should also integrate their calendars, allowing the participants to schedule a call with them. 
• Access to the e-commerce or merchant website of the brands, through which attendees can make a purchase or an integrated payment gateway where participants can buy the product directly from the expo booth. 

4. Analytics dashboard

‍There should be an integrated Live analytics dashboard that allows you to track participants' movement across the events, follow the list of participants who accessed your advertisements in the common areas and get information about attendees who visited your booth. You can also get the full event analytics to measure the expo's success.

5. Networking spaces

‍Exhibitors can also organise special sessions or networking columns to attract targeted attendees' attention and build a relationship with them. They can include Q&A sessions, games or other fun activities with the target audience and make them aware of your band and product through it.

A quick checklist to make virtual booths stand out

• Though the marketing for the expo as a whole event goes on, you as a brand participating in the expo should individually advertise the event so that it will increase the curiosity of your audience and make them participate in the expo. 
• Try to understand the virtual event platform fully. Ask the expo organiser for a trial or rehearsal session and check how the event platform works technically. 
• Along with branding, add visually appealing and informative content to the booth with immersive elements to it.
• Make sure you have representatives ready if the participants were to communicate directly in real-time. 
• After collecting the inbound leads, make sure you send them personalised follow-up emails to them.
• And best for the last, if possible, give the attendees who reach your virtual booth some takeaway or giveaway like credit points, vouchers, etc. to gain their attention and make them feel special. 

The Wrap  

The success of the virtual expo highly depends on the virtual event platform you select and the features it offers. So when choosing the event platform, cross-check with the above-mentioned functionalities and checklist and make a decision. 

Wiz365 is an intelligent all-in-one 3D virtual event platform designed by Wiztales with all the necessary features like stunning 3D outlook, cross-device functionality, custom stall designs, and branding options to live networking options, 1:1 calls, chat, live demo and sales features. Wiz365 is a complete package that will help you easily organise a tradeshow.