EDISON, N.J. — There’s no question that the metaverse—virtual environments where people interact in the form of digital avatars—will have a pivotal place in the future of the trade show industry. Now, a partnership between epIQ Creative Group, a demand generation marketing agency, and the tech experts at Germany’s rooom Enterprise Metaverse Solutions will transform the concept of virtual environments for business events into reality for forward-thinking associations and organizations that produce conventions and trade shows.
rooom’s metaverse technology lets organizations create, manage and market interactive experiences in 3-D, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) — for conventions and trade shows, this could include everything from marketplaces to education sessions to networking events. The goal is to create year-round communities where suppliers have access to lead generation and sales, and buyers can network, search marketplaces and access resources on demand.
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“The advantage of epIQ and rooom is the versatility of the platform and its interconnectivity,” Bill McGlade, president of epIQ, said. “We have launched the only B2B metaverse in which associations can purchase their own metaverse or a plot of land within our connected ecosystem. Businesses can join those associations’ metaverse marketplaces or our virtual malls or marketplaces. It’s truly an exciting time.”
The ultimate goal is to expand the definition of a business event into a year-round community. “The last three years have taught us a lot,” McGlade said. “What’s driving this shift is the members of these organizations. Demand has shifted and so must the associations. Our members are craving attention and interactions throughout the year, not only during the three to five days of an event.”
He anticipates that certain groups will embrace the metaverse more quickly than others, such as IT professionals and the younger demographic. “Their members are already embracing similar technologies or taking their businesses virtual, and these metaverse communities would be ideal for year-round lead generation.”
In related news, this week epIQ Creative Group acquired Community Leaders Institute, a member-based organization representing thousands of community leaders and professionals. CLI was launched in 2021 to address a need for an independent global association to serve this growing niche.
Reach Bill McGlade at bmcglade@epiqcreativegroup.com
