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The Real Meaning of Networking at Exhibitions

The Real Meaning of Networking at Exhibitions
It Takes More Than People and Pamphlets to Stage a Successful Trade Show
9 January, 2017

crowd at exhibitionThe goal of trade show exhibiting is to generate sales, increase brand awareness and grow your customer base. But gone are the days when this was done through offline transactions.

Face-to-face interaction has always been the cornerstone of successful trade show exhibiting, and this isn’t going to change anytime soon. However, the way in which consumers now process information is indelibly connected to the digital realm. It is therefore necessary for exhibition organisers and exhibitors to cater to these new, digital needs by providing wireless tablets, networking devices and large screen technologies to enable customers to search and filter, and ultimately for the exhibitor to convert the sale.

So, what technology is necessary for successful exhibition sales? And, as an exhibition manager or an exhibitor, what should you look for in a potential technology partner?

Connecting to Your Customers

We live in a connected world – and it is becoming more connected every day. The way we communicate, learn and purchase is now fundamentally linked to our online experiences and this change in human interaction inevitably translates to the exhibition environment.

A great trade show will reflect this strong technology focus with touch screen kiosks, customised event apps, interactive floor plans and eCommerce facilities that integrate technology with in-person customer experience.

In order to engage visitors, exhibitors must integrate the physical aspects of the event — such as the design and layout of exhibits — with the most appropriate digital elements. To achieve a professional result, it is essential to choose your technology partner wisely.

 

laptops at exhibition

Choosing Your Exhibition Technology Partner

There are two things to look for when choosing a technology partner for your exhibition: experience and inventory.

Without specific exhibition experience, it is impossible for a technology supplier to know what is needed to effectively integrate the necessary technology into an exhibit.

Without a broad inventory, your technology partner will not be able to match the specific model, functionality or quantity of tech to successfully deliver outcomes.

With over 25 years’ experience partnering with exhibition organisers, custom stand designers, builders and exhibitors — as well as an extensive IT and audio visual inventory selected for exhibitions — Microhire is the best choice you could make for a technology partner.

“Just wanted to give a big thank you to you and the Microhire team for a fantastic job at the CRT conference. It was good to work with you all…the process was smooth and seamless to our guests and the end result was a winner.

It’s precisely this wealth of experience and range of equipment that explains why, in 2015, Microhire was chosen to partner on the Combined Rural Traders Exhibition for the fourth time since 2011.

Combined Rural Traders (CRT) Exhibition: A Successful Exhibition in Action

rural tradersHeld at the Adelaide Convention Centre, the needs of CRT, which is part of Ruralco – a leading Australian agribusiness based in Macquarie Park, NSW – for their annual CRT exhibition were almost entirely IT-based, to cater to their primary goal: trade sales.

Working as an extension of Ruralco’s IT department, Microhire’s deep understanding of exhibitions as well as the capacity to supply large volume IT equipment and services resulted in all exhibitors having speedy, uninterrupted access to the remote eCommerce servers with no downtime, directly from each stand.

In order to facilitate the required trade and order placement on the exhibition floor, Microhire provided over 180 computer terminals as well as seamless Wi-Fi integration to the benefit of exhibitors and the exhibition manager.

With the use of Lenovo all-in-one PCs, over 200 network ports and Wi-Fi hotspots, Microhire delivered a faultless network that seamlessly interfaced via the venue cabled internet service to the Ruralco eCommerce servers. Microhire’s on-site servers and managed switches enabled load balancing and monitoring of the available internet bandwidth, ensuring even distribution and performance of the network to all exhibitors. During the course of the two-day event, no downtime or network congestion was experienced at any point.

Although the CRT Exhibition is modest in terms of floor space, this annual event is vitally important to the agribusiness community and all of the companies represented. Thanks to a true team approach between Ruralco and the Microhire Exhibitions Department, this year’s show was yet again pulled off with technical certainty.

“Your team always does a great job for us and it helps that you know our event so well as well as the venues.”

Jackie Hardwick – CRT Conference Coordinator, Ruralco Holdings Limited

To experience the difference Microhire can make for your event, give us a call on 1300 667 095


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