Broadening the event experience on the exhibition circuit
Keith Austin has been supporting clients at this year’s Broadband World Forum. Here he gives his view on what has become a must-attend on the technology exhibition circuit.
Renowned as the biggest broadband conference and exhibition in the world, Broadband World Forum was held in Amsterdam for the first time ever, at the RAI Exhibition Centre. The move to Amsterdam from Paris has helped to inject new life into the event, now in its twelfth year.
The Forum promised to showcase the very best in strategy, technology and innovation, and it certainly delivered on all counts. Three of our top clients were exhibiting at the show and they were just a few of the 200-plus showcasing their high-tech wares.
A new feature was the demo hall, where our three client trucks were on show, and it proved to be an overwhelming success. As with most exhibitions, stand space is relatively limited, so the demo hall was the perfect environment for companies to deliver live, hands-on trials.
For most organisations, giving customers the chance to get up close and try for themselves their technology range is essential to good business. It helps to fast-track the next stage in the buying cycle – by offering an invitation to prospective customers to host their own on-site demo day. The truck visits their company so they can show off the technology to stakeholders and influencers. It’s a proven formula, we’ve held countless highly-successful VIP days on customer sites for 100+ people.
At the Forum one of our clients maximised the return on investment by incorporating a product overview on their stand, then hosting private meetings in a separate business room, and ending with a one-to-one product demonstration inside the truck. This integrated VIP experience strategically lengthened the time spent with the client.
Many other brands made the stand the ‘hero’ of the day rather than the product. But in my view, it was the companies that gave visitors hands-on experience of their products who had the edge.
By having their own bespoke truck at a show like this, companies have the opportunity to deliver a live experience of the technology infrastructure in the most impactful way, providing far more opportunities for engagement than static product displays or open promises on AV message walls.
I was excited to witness first hand the impact the trucks can have when I visited our clients at Broadband World Forum. It was a real eye-opener and I now see our offer as an integral part of more technology tradeshows in the future.