Regardless of whether we’re talking in-person or virtual, the key event goals remain the same: attendance and qualified leads. One work without the other, so how can you attract both?
No doubt, like many others, you miss live events - the handshakes, wandering around the shop floor exploring booths, while catching up with peers you’ve not seen in months. We all do. And it won’t be long before face-to-face gatherings return. But that doesn’t mean the end of virtual events - in fact, almost three-quarters of planners (71%) plan to continue to employ a digital strategy to maintain their virtual audience once they return to physical events. (EventMB, 2020).
As we prepare for the digital future of trade shows, expos and conferences, there’s one tool you should also consider moving forward: Augmented Reality. Incorporating AR technology into your digital strategy will provide an important vessel to highlight and showcase critical content to increase your lead conversion – before, during and after your event – in a playful, engaging way.
By transforming in-person events into immersive virtual or hybrid experiences, your ability to reach different geographic locations will expand, along with your audience. With 87% of event creators planning to use augmented reality (Eventbrites Pulse, 2018), the opportunity to stand out by adding a personal touch to reach the right audience at the right time is now.
Here are 4 ways Augmented Reality can help you increase event traffic and leads.
Human Touch: Holograms
Virtual events will never feel the same as live events do but it doesn’t mean they have to be impersonal and leave attendees feeling isolated. In fact, they shouldn’t. Engaged attendees are satisfied attendees so your event’s content & method of delivery needs to encourage them to actively listen and participate - and that’s where Augmented Reality holograms come in.
Personalization through visualization is more important than ever to cultivate engagement and participation. Imagine receiving an invite or show offering from your CEO who just happened to beam straight into your living room. It’s harder to ignore an entertaining person standing in front of you than it is a bunch of dull PowerPoint slides.
Here, try it and see for yourself how straightforward the process is:
Step 1: Download the ARitize App
https://www.nextechar.com/aritize-3d
Step 2: Scan the QR CODES in the video, using your smartphone.
Step 3: Beam the augmented reality human hologram into your world and turn up the volume to hear a special message! Enlarge or decrease the size of the human hologram to fit your surroundings.
Launch Products: Showcasing Large & Small Things
Marketing is storytelling. Sales is storytelling. Everything is storytelling. Presenting brand or product information in an engaging, entertaining or emotional way is far more likely to grab your potential customer’s attention than any other marketing technique.
Augmented Reality helps create a sense of wonder through interactive storytelling, for companies and products large and small. Launching and showcasing new products, especially the heavy ones – an average car or big-ticket item can weigh up to 1500 KG – can be prohibitive when you factor in the event freight and hauling costs. The crating, shipping and drayage alone can cripple smaller organizations who may never have the reach to tell their story as they’re relegated to a 10x10 booth at the back of the hall.
By using AR, streaming products online levels the competitive playing field and pulls a wider audience into the conversation. Not only that, it keeps them listening - a Neuro-Insight study of 151 adults by Mindshare UK and Zappar found Augmented Reality had a significantly positive impact on both attention span and information retention.
eCommerce: 3D Web AR
There’s a new digital currency ruling the world of online shopping: customer experience (CX). Long gone are the days when the price was the primary driver behind purchasing decisions - nowadays consumer wants meaningful interactions and a great shopping experience. They want more in a way that matters to them. So how can you capture their attention and your share of wallet?
Using 3D web augmented reality to create exciting and compelling shopping experiences that drive customer interaction, boost conversion rates and reduce returns. And the best part? Nextech’s AR solutions are viewer ready and can be experienced in any regular browser without having to download any special software or apps. Enabling your customers to visualize products in 3D before proceeding to checkout removes doubts such as whether or not the product is the right fit for them and gives them the information they need to complete the purchase confidently. Integrating 3D Web AR in your e-commerce store will help you:
- Enhance customer engagement: Get up to 2000% more customer product engagement time using 3D/AR on your website.
- Increase ‘add to cart’ rates: See up to 400% more view to cart conversions with AR versions of your products
- Reduce product returns: Diminish buyer’s remorse before it happens. Reduce your product returns by up to 50%.
3D Booths: Contests and Gamification
Like in-person events, virtual booths must not just attract visitors but also keep them engaged during their visit. Once you get people to your booth, you need to get them excited about being there. A great way to achieve this is by utilizing gamification - everybody loves a good challenge and some friendly competition.
Adapting Augmented Reality event technology to create 3D booths, driving engagement through virtual prize wheels, scavenger hunts, and social media contests will add fun to the experience - all while showcasing your products and services.
Final Thoughts
Technology will continue to evolve but the content will always be king. It’s not enough to simply attract attendees to join your virtual experience - you must also be able to hold their attention throughout the event.
Augmented reality provides a unique and affordable ability for everyone to communicate in a way that increases engagement through a playful digital experience, providing the best opportunity to gain, and convert, qualified leads.
The time is now. Don’t miss your opportunity to stand out.
