8 replies to this topic

[pinline]

Hi Everyone - Im looking for some feedback on http://virtualwebtradeshow.com/ - as a means to reach new/more distributors. They've pitched me a number of times and it just hasn't resonated with me - but maybe I'm not seeing it.

So Distributors - do you use this site for product research / sending product info to your clients? Why is it better/ worse than Sage / ESP / DC?

Suppliers - any of you use this site to advertise your products? Is the ROI there? The claim I heard was that they reach thousands of distribs who don't use Sage / ESP thru email blasts.

Thanks in advance
Dave

[jimknecht]

Dave, I recently have been considering these virtual tradeshows. I have talked with eight legged media & have looked at their version. It really didn't impress me as most of the screen is taken up with the virtual design of the booth, with little room for the supplier info. I have not heard of these folks, so can't help you here. However I have been talking with ASI & am including data from their first 2 shows.

Actually, I wish we could change the thread title to include a generic discussion of this topic. I feel it is the future.




May 20 Show:

• 2,571 Total Show Attendees (suppliers, competitors, asi employees, etc were removed from this total)
  
• 32 min. average duration
  
• 642 simultaneous show attendees (this is the largest number of distributors and salespeople that were on at one time)
  
• 24 Exhibitors
  
• 1,314 avg. visitors per booth
  
• 496 Average # of attendees who viewed content in booth (video, catalog, sales sheet, etc)
  
• 437 Average # of documents downloaded per booth
  
• 470 Average # of catalog or sample requests per booth

August 19 show:

• 2,026 total show attendees
  
• 64 minutes average duration for attendees (this is actually double the average duration from the first show)
  
• 684 simultaneous show attendees (this is the largest number of distributors and salespeople that were on at one time
  
• 23 exhibitors
  
• 982 average visitors per booth
  
• 222 average number of attendees who viewed content in the booth (video, catalog, sales sheet, etc.)
  
• 222 average number of documents downloaded per booth
  
• 399 average number of catalog/sample requests per booth

Our preliminary schedule for shows in 2010 is March, April, June, and September.

[pinline]

Hi Jim - it's funny because despite their name - if you look at their site - it's not really a "virtual trade show" like the ones promoted by ASI etc - where you walk around to "booths" and suppliers are online to answer questions. It seems more like a catalog with emailable pages... again I don't really see the unique value proposition here.

Re the ASI shows - I agree it looks very interesting. I'd love to hear from some of the distributors who "attended". Worthwhile??? Did you chat online with suppliers?? For suppliers who attended - what were the leads like?? For me the best lead is a distributor with a specific need / project in mind that we can discuss (I don't consider a catalog request to be a lead).

[rkahn144]

Not sure if this is helpful, but a company called On24 does virtual tradeshows, not specific to the promo products industry however.

[DSubasa]

We've looked at it. Then we looked at our website.

And then we realized - if we need to have a virtual trade show anywhere, it should be our website... right?

So then we added more images. Added videos of products in use. We are actually looking to redo many of our videos to make them a little more "cool" than a 15 second clip of the product in action - maybe add some voice over or something.

The concept of the virtual trade show is great, but I dont think it can really achieve what I want to achieve at an actual trade show - face to face time with my current and potential customers.

[3Koi Maui]

I haven't visited many of the virtual trade shows, but those I have left me with questions about what their real position and features should be.

I use SAGE and frequent supplier sites. I get tens of thousands of email blasts, and still receive unsolicited catalogs. All those give me a certain set of information. Then I attend trade shows, and that gives me:

1. Browse a lot in a dedicated and condensed period of time. Walk the aisles, see what is on display.
2. Look, touch, investigate products of interest. I can pick one up, look at it, and ask questions of the supplier.
3. Meet & greet with suppliers. I strengthen existing relationships and form new impressions.

How do the virtual trade shows offer this? I haven't quite found one that piqued my interest enough to put it on my frequent re-visit list.

I would like to see more of the products. Another photo just like I can see in SAGE or the supplier site isn't interesting. I want more details in the descriptions. I want the kind of information I look for when examining a product at the live trade shows. But if the suppliers are not giving this to the online trade shows, they can't provide it. It just doesn't seem to be a priority.

An online show could also take advantages of the electronic world. Searches, categories of product and supplier, zooming in, quick fly over... Drop down menus and text searches are so old school. How about a birds eye view of a trade show floor, with type of supplier color coded into the booths? Something like Googe Earth. Looking for lapel pins? Select that, and the booths light up. Zoom in, swoop around the booth, zoom back out.

How about making contact? Requesting samples & catalogs, while much bemoaned, is truly one continued aspect of trade shows. Can't do that in the online shows, at least not reliably.

I do think online shows are great for people who can't get to many shows... like me. But then they need to be more interesting and offer more information to draw and hold the visitors.

[pinline]

This is great stuff - I think there probably should be a discussion of the pro's / con's of virtual trade shows..... but to get back to the original question - Im guessing none of you use / heard of this site - www.VirtualWebTradeshow.com ???

If DT users (who are probably the most tech-saavy of all distributors) aren't aware of it / don't use it - then Im guessing it's probably not worth the $2500 they want / year.

[3Koi Maui]

My impression is that they haven't really done a big launch yet.

But also I would say that their ideal user is NOT the DT crowd. At least not those who might tend to post. Those who are more tech savvy are probably comfortable going to websites, using research tools, etc. But the less tech savvy are going to appreciate all that information in one place.

If I were an online trade show, I would market to the distributors who don't have the tools and maybe who don't/can't attend physical trade shows. Now the trick is how to find them. Email blasts, and perhaps via regionals.

Email or USPS mailing to PPAI lists. If one could cross reference PPAI's distributor list against the PPAI Expo attendee list - just remove those that attended, and target those that didn't. Why didn't they attend? Cost of travel? Time away from the office? Those are the ideal candidates for online shows.

[Chris Miller]

Well I don't use it, and honestly never heard of it until I was contacted my Brian Brown who owns it. We did a poll on DT about which site distributors use for product research and he wrote me an email asking why VirtualWebTradeshow wasn't on the list.

When I asked him what it was, and why I had never heard of it it responded with:

Quote

Chris,

You know this is really not fair...

There are four sourcing sites:

Sage--20000 members
Distributor Central--10000 members
Virtual Web Trade Show--7500 members
ESP--7000 members

How about it?

Brian Brown
Virtual Web Trade Show
914-245-5115

I still don't really know what it is, and when I looked into it, I still couldn't figure out the value of it. It's possible that I too am missing something though.....