Press Release

Virtual tech fair and online shows are starting to pop up everywhere. What are they? How do they work? Should we consider attending? OR should we consider sponsoring one?

These are the important questions. So let’s start at the beginning. Attendance at many conventions and Tech Fairs has been in decline for a while and 9/11 quickened the pace. Sponsors have been scrambling to find alternatives that will preserve the best features of an in-person event and eliminate most of the negatives. Given the advances being made in the world of technology, this should be possible.

A number of vendors have created platforms to support a “trade show” motif – also known as the virtual tech fair. The idea is to make it easy for a producer of a traditional event to easily move to an interactive environment with the least hassle possible. The simplest way to explain a VTF is to think of it as a very sophisticated website that allows visitors to experience a Tech Fair from their office or home.

Benefits and Opportunities

In today’s business market there are hundreds of wonderful opportunities to choose from – in fact there are too many. How do you allocate scarce time and money to decide what trade show to attend – both as an exhibitor and attendee? You want to find the perfect fit of networking and sales opportunities, a great value for your limited budget and the ability to meet with who you need to meet with, when you need to meet with them. The VTF eliminates the logistical barriers from attending a show.

Now consider an online or virtual tech fair. Both exhibitors and attendees can be there through the magic of the internet without leaving town.

Through the use of electronic conferencing and interactive Voice Over IP (sending and receiving voice over the Internet), it is possible to have group meetings and discuss subjects just as if you were in person.

As an attendee, you can pick up literature in a briefcase for later reading. Only everything is in an electronic format. There is no waste and the exhibitors never run out. You can leave your business card behind and schedule an appointment for some future date – hopefully at your home office. If you are very impressed by one of the live education presentations, most platforms will provide an archived version that you can listen to it again, this time with your staff. Now everyone in the company can benefit from the great programs being presented.

If you are interested in attending a virtual event and seeing what it is like, there will be a free, interactive Tech Fair on September 12 and13, 2006. It is focused on distribution technology. You can experience the best elements of a live Tech Fair over the Internet. There will be product demos, networking, education and you can even enter a drawing for show prizes. The keynote will be given by Adam Fein, Ph.D., an industry leader and a fellow of the Distribution Research and Education Foundation. He will address “Embracing Changing Technology.”

You can register for free at www.virtualtechfair.com. Then participate. Not only will you learn about technology and your business, you will experience the virtual environment. Then you will be ready to answer the most important question of all: “can I use this platform to increase my business?”

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Posted: 09|13|06 at 9:11 am. Filed under: News.