AUGSBURG, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Corona pandemic has accelerated the reorientation of trade fairs in Germany - industry representatives are increasingly meeting in the digital space. Nevertheless, the personal exchange at the booth remains important. The future of industrial trade fairs in Germany is therefore "hybrid". This is the central finding of the white paper "Live Communication in the New Normal" - published by the Bundesverband Industrie Kommunikation (bvik).
"Industrial trade fairs will require the best of both worlds in future - a combination of analogue and digital," says Kai Halter, Chairman of the Board of the bvik and Head of Marketing at fan manufacturer ebm-papst. "This is shown by the current experiences of our members with new trade fair formats. On the one hand, personal contact remains indispensable for building trust and longer-term business relationships. On the other hand, exhibitors and suppliers need new digital skills and, above all, the courage to try things out."
How new trade fair formats work
Exhibitors and organisers need to face up to the new self-evident nature of digital formats. In both digital and analogue formats, the focus is on experiences, emotions and added value for the audience. In order to reach people today and in future, investments are needed in high-quality content, sustainable concepts and technologies, services and further education. The planning and implementation of trade fairs is becoming much more complex and time-consuming for all those involved. However, there is a lot of potential in the digital extension before and after the trade fair for more reach and the development of completely new - digital - target groups.
Digital skills are the biggest challenge
In the separate survey "bvik Trendbarometer Industriekommunikation 2022", which is currently being analysed by the association and will be published on 17th January, over 270 participants from industry and B2B services describe the availability of digital skills in marketing and communication as crucial to success by a large majority. In the industrial environment, too, customers expect a consistent, trust-building brand experience. This brings with it high and ever new demands on knowledge in sales, marketing and corporate communications.
Bundesverband Industrie Kommunikation e.V.: https://bvik.org/presse/
