Your company is all set up for the up upcoming expo. The stand is designed, promotional material printed, and you have advertised on socials and sent an EMD to your attendance. But, is there anything else that you can do to create more exposure, communicate your message easier or give you an edge over the competition to generate more interest/leads? The short answer is yes, and that is using a virtual tour in an expo. Today we are exploring the benefits of using a virtual tour alongside your existing channels to take your expo success to the next level and generate more business.

Benefits of Using a Virtual Tour in an Expo

+

What is a virtual tour?

A virtual tour allows clients to see and interact with an environment such as venue, office, facility and more. This allows them to experience the full scope of the property/space right in the comfort of their own home. At Simply 360, we produce fully interactive and immersive 360 virtual tours that are custom-tailored for your needs/requirements. You can also integrate existing images, video, fonts, audio and more alongside your branding style/guidelines. This lets your clients become fully immersed in a curated environment with the feeling they are already there in person.

Bring your venue/business to an expo with a virtual tour

You are all set up for the event. The stand is designed, promotional material is ready to go, and you are advertising your attendance on socials. The only thing left for you to do is bring your stand to life by showcasing a virtual tour of your venue, project work or promotion. Have you ever exhibited at an expo to showcase your venue, but because you are at another venue, it literally makes it impossible?

Presenting at expos is a great idea but was a paradox until you use a virtual tour. By using an iPad/tablet or VR headset, you can literally showcase your venue space as though you are at your location. Imagine showcasing your tour in VR at an expo like the one below. It’s like you are there in person.

Double click in the virtual tour to make it go fullscreen, or click here

Why should you use a virtual tour at expos?

Using a virtual tour in an expo allows for an elegant solution that is interactive, engaging, and suitable for people of all ages and backgrounds. It is the only medium that allows a person to become completely immersed in your product/location through standard modern technology (smartphone, tablet or desktop computer).

Additionally, by utilising VR technology through a headset, the user can experience your location firsthand. No other marketing medium can provide this experience or level of immersion. Please note you do not need a VR headset to experience a virtual tour but it does add to the experience.

Practical Example

Pink Caviar Events is a corporate event company based in Sydney. We often take photos of their various even set-up and put them into a virtual tour. This virtual tour is not only shown on their website, they also use it at expos. The team are able to showcase various event setups to potential clients as they walk through as though they are there in person. In addition, as the tour is VR headset compatible, they can literally put people into the event as though they are there firsthand.

Double-click in the virtual tour to make it go fullscreen or click here

Showcase your projects/services in a virtual tour at an expo

Virtual tours are more than just about your location. At an expo, you can, of course, showcase your business/venue, but you can also showcase examples of work. A great example is the construction industry, where you can showcase what you built and even have people experience the various stages of construction firsthand. Through the use of 360 video, you can even have immersive explainer videos where a person feels they are inside the presentation.

Use VR to bring people inside your business at an expo

Have you ever tried to explain to someone what something looks like? No matter how good you explain what the location is like (even with photos and video), the fact is it’s never going to compare being there in person there in person. Using a VR headset in conjunction with a virtual tour at an expo is as close as you can get to the real thing. VR is the only medium that gives a person the feeling that they have already been at the location in person. If they experience the tour in VR, you will often hear people say they feel like they have been there from the tour.

Use an iPad or computer to showcase your iPad

Most people have a desktop/laptop or an iPad/tablet. These devices are commonplace and can easily be used at expos to showcase a virtual tour. Your staff can set up computers on a table that are preloaded with the tour so people can interact with your display while having an open and engaging conversation about what they are looking for. This next-level experience can easily translate into more enquiries and sales.

Virtual Tours are a great conversation starter at expos.

Not everyone attending an expo will go to all the stalls/stands/booths. This means what you have on hand at the expo must count and be effective. Many people are there to have meaningful conversations with other exhibitors, visitors and attendees in your sector. Virtual tours make it easier for people to interact with your exhibit. They allow your visitors to chat and take their mind off the fast pace feeling that an expo can bring.

At expos, people are busy. They don’t have the time to stand around, waiting to be distracted by something they can’t see. When the visitors walk past your stand, they can see you already have something interesting on display. It’s like they are walking into your business directly. It’s the easiest way to introduce them to your products and services and get them interested and engaged.

Let people take the virtual tour home with them

Are you looking for a way to make the most out of your recent participation in an expo? Following up with the people you met there is crucial to establish long-lasting business relationships. One way to do this is by including a virtual tour in your follow-up email. This will give them a better understanding of your brand and what you have to offer. If you have a database or contact details of the attendees, it’s easy to send them a link to the virtual tour. Alternatively, if you handed out flyers, you can add a personalised QR code that will take them directly to the virtual tour. This is a great way to ensure that they don’t miss out on your brand’s message and can explore it at their convenience.

To make your brand stand out, you can even put a large QR code on a banner for those who may not have interacted with you directly but are interested in your virtual tour. This will attract their attention and encourage them to check out what you have to offer. The best part is that QR code software can track usage, allowing you to monitor who, when, and where people are accessing the virtual tour. This data can be used for post-expo analytics and review purposes. It will give you a clear understanding of how well your brand is being received and how you can improve your marketing strategies for future events.

Conclusion

Virtual tours are not something everyone uses at an expo. This is mostly because people do not understand their pulling power and effectiveness. However, they can be used alongside your existing marketing material while simultaneously self-explaining what your business/company is all about. It is an excellent marketing tool that works for you when someone is in range of your stand/booth. So give us a call on 02 9674 9090 or fill out this form to see how we can create a virtual tour for your next trade show.

Are you planning to exhibit at an expo/tradeshow? Have you thought about using a virtual tour as a marketing/sales tool at the expo? Join the discussion and comment down below with your thoughts.

Dimitri Cassimatis( Founder )

Dimitri is the founder of Simply 360, which specialises in creating immersive, interactive and engaging 360 / VR virtual tours, AR integration and marketing consultancy. He has worked in the digital marketing industry for over 15 years and has a passion for creating virtual tours with a key focus in strategic implementation.