The EcomXpo was reported to be the largest eCommerce tradeshow ever. Over 5000 people “attended” and over 150 companies were represented with a booth/exhibit. Just like any other typical conference, the Xpo had booth prizes, eager representatives, and even informative presentations by professionals in the industry. The only thing different was that it was 100% virtual.
It was only fitting that our industry discovered a way to have an entire conference without detaching people from their laptops for even 5 minutes. I am personally hoping that by next year they can just implant a computer directly into my brain so I can begin working without even rising to get out of bed. The Ecom presented an exciting possibility for companies to meet without the expense of flying to another city and staying in a hotel, but it was not without its drawbacks. Below is a quick analysis of what went right and wrong with conference:
The Good:
First and foremost, it was worth it. My company had a Premium booth complete with an Audio PowerPoint presentation, 15 free passes to give to deserving clients, and a personalized booth design. Navigating the conference and using the tools (chat, biz card exchange, etc.) was mildly easy. The learning curve was about 30 minutes until you were a pro. I could man my booth, talk to five potential clients at once, and continue to use my regular email and chat with no problems. The software had very few hiccups. I only remember two or three times when I had to restart the browser due to error.
It was far and away the easiest conference to meet new contacts that I had ever been to. Some of the best business to be found was in the “lounge” area. I found it easy to click on several people at a time and copy/paste the phrase “Hey! Nice to meet you. What do you do?”
The Bad:
Obviously, the main draw back was no face to face interaction. It levels the playing field between poor and good salespeople. No first impressions while going to a booth either. It was also more difficult to retain peoples’ attention and give them a small pitch. Several times, I would have a two sentence conversation with someone that visited my booth and they would never respond back. I don’t think anyone would just walk away to another booth in the middle of a one on one conversation at a typical tradeshow.
A few other things had problems. The representatives of the EcomXpo encouraged everyone that had a booth to offer a prize. While the prize drawing was ensured to be fair by being under Ecom’s control, it was also far to easy to enter to win the prize. Several people at the conference simply went to every booth and registered for a chance at the free prize with a couple of clicks and then walked away. You don’t even get an opportunity to engage them. Also, the PowerPoint presentations at each booth could become very tiresome at times. If you watched a 5 minute presentation at 50 booths, then you could spend half the day staring at some of the cheesiest presentations ever. The food quality at the online cafeteria was pretty horrible as well.
Conclusion:
A friend of mine once told me that any conference you attend should pay for itself within a week. I would say that the EcomXpo definitely meets those expectations. Considering it is only in its second year, the Xpo does an excellent job of what it tries to do: connect people, educate about products and services, and give you the chance to win free prizes in exchange for your business card. I would highly recommend this show to any small company that finds some of the more notorious shows like Ad:tech or the DMA too cost prohibitive. For the larger companies, this will soon become a required addition to coincide with booths at the other major tradeshows. “See” you at the next one!
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