Note: All dates are subject to change in light of COVID-19
It is hard to quantify the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the global economy. The lockdowns that rocked the entire globe in 2020, of which some continue to be imposed, virtually brought everything to a standstill, and one of the biggest victims of this was trade shows. Traditionally, trade shows have always been a physical activity that requires the physical presence of people in one place, all that has had to change within the last 12 months.
We are going to explore how the pandemic has affected trade shows, why social distancing is important, and the many ways that trade show booths can still be operable if the rules put in place are followed. If you are a trade show host looking to stage an event in the near future, then stick around for some tips that will help you hold a successful fair in this pandemic.
The Influence of the Covid-19 on the Exhibition Industry
How has the pandemic affected the exhibition industry? As we mentioned previously, the effects of this pandemic cannot be properly measured as it still continues to wreak havoc. The following are some of the challenges that the exhibition industry has had to deal with in the past.
No Physical Meets
Most of the trade shows that have been held since lockdown started coming into effect in March 2020 have been virtual, with a good number of them having to be suspended. Switching to virtual on such short notice has come with its own complications, especially cost-related problems, since the technology needed to pull that off on a large scale is expensive. There has also been the problem of virtual attendance with very low numbers of people tuning in. Without physical contact between people and the interaction with products and services, it becomes hard to sell an idea through a trade show right now.
Fewer Entries
Despite the cost of attending being scraped off as far as transportation and logistics are concerned, the number of businesses registering for these virtual events has gone down drastically, and this has been attributed to the low number of virtual attendees. It simply doesn’t make any economic sense to invest in high levels of technology to stream for an event that is not watched by many people. The core function of a trade show is exposure, and when people are nowhere to be seen, that function is rendered defunct.
Reduced Sponsorship
Sponsors are the biggest spenders in any trade show event. They pump in a lot of money in developing the event and branding it with their own logos and identity to take advantage of the publicity that these kinds of shows bring to the table. However, this is hinged on physical attendance because that’s how advertising is more efficient. Although the same can still be pulled off easily virtually, it doesn’t carry the same impact compared to sponsorships that happen in real-time on the ground.
Why We Need Social Distancing in Trade Shows Nowadays
Social distancing has been found to be the best way of dealing with the pandemic. The chances of the virus being passed on to the next person reduces by huge margins if people maintain a minimum of 6 meters from each other. While most establishments have already instituted these rules, they are necessary in the trade show world because of the following reasons.
It is mandated by the law that people maintain social distances and wear masks at all times when attending trade shows. These are among the requirements that people have to adhere to for the event to be allowed to be held in the first place.
To keep the people attending the event safe from contracting the disease. Social distancing has worked on many occasions in the last 12 months. Keeping that safe distance while wearing a mask is the best way to ensure that attending the event doesn’t end with you being rushed to the ER some weeks later.
To avoid overcrowding in one place. This not only enhances the experience of dealing with one person at a time but it creates the much-needed space that people attending trade shows usually crave. Running a trade show in this pandemic is now much easier since everyone is forced to be orderly for their own benefit.
How to Design Social Distancing into Your Exhibit Booth
It becomes your responsibility as a participant in a trade show to make sure that your booth is designed with social distancing in mind if you hope to have any visitors coming your way. Some of the ways that you can ensure that this is done the right way include the following.
Avoid a design that encourages crowding. You should look for ways to create more space within your booth to give people the freedom to move. There should also be enough space for placing the social distancing signs on the floor for directing people.
Take your staff through healthcare training on how to handle the situation as things unfold. Instances, where people have refused to conform to social distancing and wearing masks are not uncommon. They may have to deal with such attendees, and being read for that is a sure way of ensuring a successful trade show is held.
Use a sneeze guard for desk attendants on top of the regular medical masks. The masks may be good at keeping the virus at bay, but you will be best served to add another layer of a sneeze guard cover over your face. This sneeze guard glass should be worn by all your staff members as they will be the ones dealing with attendees for most of the event.
Sanitize all the time after every interaction with someone. There are a number of ready-to-use dry sanitizers that don’t require any water. You need to place some hand sanitizer stands in strategic places around the trade show booth for people to help themselves as they move around and touch the products to examine them. You can never be too careful; you have to ensure that safety is prioritized.
If you have access to vaccination, then you will be best served to have yourself and your staff vaccinated before the event. This will not only boost your immunity, but it will make it harder for you to slap spread the virus to other people. You still have to keep wearing the masks and observe social distancing even after getting the inoculation jab.
Conclusion
There’s a lot about the diseases that are still being revealed every day, and as time goes by, we are getting better at dealing with the pandemic. The vaccine rollout has made things a little more bearable as most places have begun re-opening. However, it is hard to tell when large-scale events like trade shows will go back to business as usual since each nation has had to impose its own regulations in regards to people traveling into their countries; for now, virtual trade shows will be the order of the day.
If you have been planning to attend a trade show as an exhibitor or attendee but are confused on where to begin or the COVID-19 regulations that you have to follow, check out our website, and you will find all the information you need to navigate through this.
