Think digital - stay personal: How do companies in the B2B sector master the balancing act between digital transformation and the human factor? Trade shows play an important role as a marketing tool in the B2B sector. However, digital transformation raises the question of whether it will still be meaningful in the future and to what extent digital innovation can be presented at small and large trade fair booths.
One thing is clear: The trade show booth of the future should integrate perfectly into the digital customer journey in order to attract people to the brand and the company. Whereas up to now, the focus at a trade show has been on presenting new products and services, digitalization created a new functional level. Now it’s important to create positive product experiences, touching and inspiring. A brand is allowed to become tangible – it must be personal and multisensory.
Whether in the automotive sector, in industrial automation or in the service sector, digital transformation is rapidly gaining momentum. From digitalized, fully networked development and production, through the digitization of the supply chain, to innovative marketing and communication tools that promote decision-making processes, customer dialog and customer loyalty appear across all media and channels at every step.
Digital buzzwords, artificial intelligence, chatbots and virtual stimulus overload or not - in the end, the "human" factor is decisive. But at some point, this factor will fall by the wayside due to all the digitalization. Eventually when personal, real and interpersonal
contacts are completely neglected, virtuality and humanity become out of balance.
Acting digitally and still remaining personal is one of the greatest challenges that industrial companies have to master in the age of digital transformation. Particularly in the course of an internal change in which sales and marketing in particular, as external interfaces to the customer, are required to rethink. After all, if sales is eventually replaced by digital sales consultants, chatbots, online configurators and eShops, it will have to completely redefine its role.
Then it will be necessary to find new ways to demonstrate to the customer their own raison d'être. Real points of experience such as trade shows and events will play an immensely important role as personal contact platforms. So the trade show is not out, but rather a very important marketing instrument of the future
"The emotional live experience and personal contact with customers and distributors will remain irreplaceable in the future. After all, nowhere else than at leading trade fairs do internationally active sales staff have the concentrated opportunity to manage high-quality customer contacts with decision-makers and targeted lead generation single-handedly. In this respect, the cost-benefit calculation for a cost-intensive trade fair with state-of-the-art digital media is also a total success,"
says Tamara Grünzweil, managing partner of SPS MARKETING, one of Europe's leading B2B agencies. With offices in Linz and Stuttgart, the marketing agency has over 25 years of trade fair experience, during which it has accompanied numerous international B2B companies in their digital transformation and at major leading trade fairs.
Especially at the trade show, attractive digital exhibits that offer a high degree of gaming and interaction "magically" attract both trade and public visitors. If a sharing opportunity via social media is also available, these concepts work perfectly. In addition, such exhibits can be used profitably beyond the trade show event (which has a positive impact on costs): e.g. in the form of an online configurator or an in-house exhibit in the foyer, showroom or at recruiting fairs.
The strategy of focusing on key trade fairs and large conferences will be a complete success in the short and medium term. Here there are optimal opportunities to underpin the positioning and, above all, you can talk in person with an international trade audience and the top decision-makers. Complementing this, digital playback, both in the run-up to the trade fair and at the trade fair itself, as well as in the follow-up, should be state-of-the-art.
Get visible - digital & competent! Want to learn how to digitally highlight services and innovations at your next trade fair? My team and I would be happy to support you at your next trade show appearance. Contact me!
