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The Corona pandemic has put an end to traditional fair activities in Sweden, but now there is a solution to organize trade shows digitally.
– A trade fair that takes place online is cheaper, more environmentally friendly and reaches a significantly higher number of participants than traditional trade shows, says Jonas Ås, CEO of Onlinemassan.com.
For many companies, participating in trade shows is a matter of course. Trade shows mean the opportunity to network, make new contacts and also find new clients.
But the current ban on gatherings as a result of the corona pandemic has led to the disruption of trade shows. Here Jonas Ås saw the opportunity to create virtual fairs.
– In May we organized the first digital fair, the Hunting and Fishing Fair. The result was so successful that several representatives from different industries have signed up to hold fairs through our platform. We are currently running Profile Fair Online, for those who work with profiling and marketing products, and we have another five fairs booked in the fall, says Jonas Ås.
Video and chat function replaces physical meeting
The dialogue between visitors and exhibitors at Onlinemässan.com takes place fully digitally with the help of live chat and video calls. Product and news demos are made using prerecorded videos.
– In practical terms, a production company is dispatched to each individual exhibitor well in advance of the fair. A simple studio is being built where a company representative is filmed as products and news are presented, explains Jonas Ås.
But it is not a requirement that each exhibitor present himself in a video.
– We can also offer a lower entry threshold where the exhibitor can load their product material. In this way, we can offer a wider range to exhibitors that can all participate regardless of budget, he says.
The concept has many advantages over physical trade shows.
Since classic fairs require the physical participation of visitors and exhibitors, the number of participants decreases as a result of travel and accommodation costs. This problem does not exist in digital fairs.
– One effect that visitors and exhibitors do not have to travel to the fair is that we get a very high participation. People who have not visited a fair before due to geographical distance can now easily navigate the fair through their reading tablet on their sofa at home. Even for exhibitors, a digital trade show means less wear and tear and lower costs, explains Jonas Ås.
Before the upcoming trade shows, Onlinemassan.com will also offer a smooth buying process where exhibitors can sell their products and services directly from the platform to visitors.
Digital fairs will be a complement
Jonas Ås believes that digital trade shows will play an increasingly important role in the future, but he doesn’t think technology will replace physical trade shows.
– I think they will complement each other. Imagine if we at traditional fairs could come a few days before and film all the stands and let the exhibitor representatives tell their activities, then we can build an online fair that runs in parallel with the physical fair. Then the exhibitors will reach an incredible number of visitors and potential customers, while more and more interested people will be able to participate in the fair. That is the future, he concludes.
Read more at Onlinemässan.com
About Onlinemassan.com
Onlinemassan.com organizes trade fairs with the aim of creating sustainable, cost-effective, time-and-cost encounters between buyers and sellers without geographic restrictions.
