TRUMBULL, CT — Clarion Events North America is pivoting in parallel with its customers by releasing a set of new product offerings for virtual events.
This suite of tools, which is designed to meet the unique needs of each of its customer sectors as they take the leap into virtual events, ranges from virtual product showcases to on-demand education membership packages.
The move to virtual events can be daunting, even for the most experienced event organizer. A huge benefit, said Liz Irving, EVP – Head of Marketing, Technology and Customer Experi
ence at Clarion, is that her team already understands the needs of their customers. “We are able to reimagine where and how to deliver digitally — knowing that not every element of a live show translates well, for example,” she said.
“As the platforms have developed quickly, our teams have worked to deeply understand how we can make this transition to digital easier, provide more support both technical and service to customers, and focus our marketing on not only awareness of digital but also engagement within the platforms we use. Keeping your customer’s voice heard from concept through execution is important.”
In fact, said Irving, organizers are finding they can broaden the reach of shows in ways they could not have even imagined. “It’sbeen very exciting because it opens up the possibilities of how we can connect customers. It’s made our teams think bigger and differently about how we can meet that new customer need. Nothing can replace the live event experience, but we are hearing from more of our customers that they see online becoming part of their strategy with us leading up to and after our events.Regardle
ss of the format, the emphasis remains the same as for live events: to develop opportunities for lead generation for exhibitors and sponsors. There are more than 50 events so far with plans to implement the new technology, and some that already have, including ITC, which brought customers together for a multi-country world tour with mini-events in different localities and more than 90 hours of programming.
“I do believe the event business will look differently as we go forward,” she added. “Online innovation and reimagined event tech will help us all to create customer value in new ways.”
Reach Liz Irving at (203) 242-8717 or Liz.Irving@clarionevents.com.
