8 Ways Virtual Events Bring Extraordinary Value to the Customer Experience

Welcome to the Interactive Revolution, a time ushered in by advances in virtual technology and accelerated by a global pandemic. Like other revolutionary time periods, there are those who are quick to adopt and adapt, and some who will lag (and probably fall) behind. If you’ve been biding your time to see if virtual events are a passing fad, then now is the time to explore the benefits of investing in them.

What we know is that engaging customers in interactive environments, such as showrooms, displays and events, adds a new dimension to B2B and B2C sales and marketing, well beyond traditional trade shows. With feature technology like augmented reality, virtual reality and gamification, a real environment can be simulated, and even enhanced.

What we’ve learned is that virtual experiences result in higher levels of engagement, marketing integration and measurement. Sales, marketing and training exhibitions previously limited to live events, like trade shows and conferences, now can be transformed in to powerful experiences available virtually to prospects any time, any day of the year.

What we’re expecting is that businesses are on the cusp of a new generation in which sales, face-to-face interaction and virtual experiences will be interchangeable. One thing will remain the same—every experience matters.

With decades of experience under our team’s belt, we’ve created trade show booths and environments where billions of dollars in commerce take place. In the virtual world, we’re not constrained by physical space and time limitations. As a result, E3 interactive designs virtual events that bring extraordinary value to the customer experience, and therefore, your company. Here are eight examples:

1. Virtual experiences can go big. Large virtual events are perfect for mass appeal, yet components of the event can be designed to encourage visitors to explore your brand at their leisure and based on their interests.
2. A virtual event can be small and intimate with components included, such as live chat and video conferencing, to encourage your visitors to interact one-on-one with your team.
3. Virtual product demos bring features and benefits to life, providing a detailed understanding of your products, especially when virtual reality is integrated so prospects can interact with them just as they would in the real world.
4. A virtual showroom is available beyond four walls and outside of business hours, allowing visitors to discover your business, products and services from anywhere in the world, at any time.
5. A virtual experience can be integrated with existing marketing channels by driving deeper engagement within your existing web presence. Virtual events are hosted on the web and the link to attend can be shared in emails, social media and on your website.
6. A virtual event can include user analytics that measure and monitor every action and transaction, giving you insights in to consumer behavior. Use what you learn to enhance engagement via follow up messaging or tweaking the virtual event content—it can be as easy to do as a web update.
7. Any type of virtual event can fill your sales pipeline faster through CRM or other system integration. These are qualified leads, since visitors can be required to register or submit a form to access content.
8. Going virtual with events positions your company as a leader in new technologies by showcasing your brand within the most contemporary marketing platform.

In a perfect world, you’d be able to talk to every prospect and customer personally, invite them to your showroom, give live product demos, and offer tours. But, the reality is that your audience can be located anywhere in the world and events outside anyone’s control can unexpectedly limit face-to-face interaction.

Join the Interactive Revolution and bring extraordinary value to your customers’ experience with your brand, products and services. Your virtual events can be engaging experiences when combined with options, like AR, VR, gamification, video and live chat, that simulate a real-world experience. Imagine demonstrating a new product not to hundreds of trade show attendees, but to thousands of interested buyers around the world. With virtual events, it’s possible.