5 Reasons Why A Virtual Wedding Show Is Better Than An In-Person Wedding Show
Office meetings, classes, church services, and government summits—almost everything can now be done virtually. With just a click or two, people can easily transport themselves to wherever they want to go. And despite the opening up of many economies around the world in recent months, it looks like virtual gatherings are here to stay—even for wedding shows.
Despite the restrictions of the events in the past 1 ½ years or so, many engaged couples are pushing forward with their wedding plans. Wedding shows, whether in-person or virtual, continue to be popular events that play an essential role in wedding preparations.
Wedding shows are a great way for couples to knock out many items from their to-do list in just one go. In these all-in-one affairs, wedding professionals of all sorts come together to offer the products and services that make up the ingredients of any dream wedding. From the exquisite bridal gowns and sparkling jewelry they will wear to the elegant limousine services and gorgeous wedding venues on offer, couples everywhere are presented with many choices.
Why are professionals choosing to go virtual versus in-person? Here are a few good reasons for you to join shows like the Arizona Online Wedding Show.
Reason #1: Participation is simpler
Going virtual makes participating as an exhibitor simpler. Exhibitors no longer need to worry if couples can see all the products and services they want to showcase. They can easily curate their videos to highlight the product features they want to focus on.
They can also do away with printing marketing materials that in-person attendees would need to get to know their businesses. Instead, they can tap the many social media platforms frequently used by their target audience to increase awareness about their brands or enterprises.
Virtual shows also offer opportunities for wedding professionals to meet other vendors and form lasting partnerships. Networking can be as straightforward as exhibitors virtually popping in and out of each other’s booths throughout an event
Reason #2: Costs are lower
Among the advantages of virtual wedding shows is the lower costs. Various wedding professionals can coordinate with the organizers, so each vendor can go live from the comfort of their wedding studios or bridal shops. Digital capabilities help virtual exhibitors to easily switch from one location to another at virtual events.
This cuts down on the costly logistics needed to ship products and exhibit materials. Exhibitors will also be pleased to do without the booth installations and the manpower needed to set up and take them down from the exhibit venue—all costly "must-haves" at in-person wedding shows.
Reason #3: You get higher-quality attendees
It is not surprising for exhibitors to experience high traffic at their booths during a wedding show and yet, still end the event with just a handful of bookings. The usual marketing activities used to stir up interest in these events, from free champagne to discount coupons, don’t necessarily lead to high-quality leads.
At virtual wedding shows, it’s less about mere spectators and window shoppers. Typical attendees at these events, in contrast to in-person wedding shows, are more interested and deliberate. They have generally done more research and are more likely to be ready to make a decision.
These highly motivated individuals go to virtual wedding shows with the primary purpose of meeting and talking to wedding professionals. They tend to be more appreciative of experts that can market to them and meet them where they are in their lives. These better-quality leads are more likely to get converted to bookings.
Reason #4: Virtual setups help overcome limitations of distance and time
One often overlooked advantage of holding virtual events is the growing acceptability of meeting online instead of physically coordinating with planning partners and organizers. Aside from saving money on transportation and restaurant bills, virtual interactions also enhance your capability to connect with people no matter where they are located. For instance, there may be couples who want to involve their parents in making decisions, yet are located in another state or country.
Others may also have different limitations, such as non-traditional work schedules and transportation or child-care difficulties. And then you have folks who are introverted or don’t particularly care for crowds. Virtual wedding shows enable you to overcome these challenges to effectively connect and coordinate with your clients or prospects on various online meeting platforms.
Reason #5: Technology presents new opportunities
Technology enhances the ability of wedding pros to showcase and connect with couples in a more intimate one-on-one environment. And you don’t really need a ton of fancy equipment or exceptional digital savvy to put up a virtual wedding show.
Even if all you have is a digital camera and a mini studio, you can already create a show that can be valuable to your clients and prospects.
You can set up a simple webinar or a personal consultation which may be attractive to those who prefer smaller groups. You can also choose to invest more time and effort to come up with a ticketed digital event for a bigger audience. Whatever type of event you choose, you can use web optimization and digital marketing tools to generate more traffic for any of these virtual shows.
Digital events also allow exhibitors more control and freedom in exercising their creative options. Because planning is simpler and costs are less on a virtual platform, wedding pros can give more freedom to their imagination. And this can enable them to come up with a truly spectacular virtual wedding show.