EPIC NEWS
ANALYSIS AND OPINION REMEMBERING PROFESSOR BRYAN TOZER BSC PHD CENG CPHYS FIET FINSTP EPIC NEWS
By Carlos Lee, director general
www.epic-assoc.com
The trials and tribulations of organising a remote exhibition
L
et me share with you some perspective on organising a new kind of
event for Epic, the Photonics+ virtual exhibition and conference. During the pandemic, Epic
has organised around one hundred online meetings, typically attended by 50 to 75 participants. But as part of a continuous effort to help the photonics industry remain connected and form new links, Epic decided to develop a large- scale exhibition platform. At the time of writing, a
few days prior to the event on 17/18 February, more than 300 companies have confirmed to exhibit and, quite surprisingly, many have signed up in the last few days and weeks. It seems that because it is an online event, companies feel more able to join at the last minute, at the cost of missing the pre-event promotion opportunities. There have been associated
challenges with various aspects of organising a first-of-its- kind event, such as technical difficulties related to developing the most appropriate hosting platform, and logistical snags as we explored the most effective way for people and companies to connect. For physical events, the
requirement to travel is a filter that ensures only those committed to attend sign up. This is not the case with an online event. With the huge advantages of people being able to attend remotely, comes the challenge of ensuring that all participants are serious industry
34 Electro Optics March 2021
Around 150 exhibitors joined the weekly Q&A preparation sessions to get ready for the event
professionals who will respect the basic rules of engaging at an exhibition – exhibitors come to sell, while visitors are there to learn about new technologies and products. For online events, a culture needs to be developed and business etiquette enforced to ensure all visitors can enjoy a pleasant experience. Some of the traditional
marketing rules also don’t apply for online events. Companies that traditionally have a large booth at the entrance of the show as a tactic to have all visitors notice them, can’t replicate this online. The concept of visitors walking down exhibition aisles and stopping at booths needed to be reimagined. At Photonics+ a match-making AI-powered tool will recommend companies to
visitors based on their profiles and, thus, enable more efficient visitor-exhibitor interaction. Exhibitors ultimately want to meet potential clients and generate business leads. An online event allows enhanced tracking of visitors’ behaviour and enables greater
“Features that seem simple to implement, can be quite demanding to develop”
understanding of what is of interest to each individual. This knowledge, then, can be used for more effective and efficient match-making. Almost everyone I talk with
says that they like the random encounters they experience at exhibitions. This has also
been replicated on the platform, where 10 thematic networking rooms allow you to have instant video calls with other visitors in private, or in a group. On the technical side,
features that seem simple to implement can actually be quite demanding to develop, but the IT team at Fleet Events has done a terrific job in trying to accommodate as many features as possible expressed by the hundreds of exhibitors, who have joined the weekly calls in preparation to the event. Epic has faced significant
challenges in organising Photonics+. This is expected when you innovate at a rapid pace, but with its dedicated staff, partners and members, I feel we made huge progress in overcoming most of the hurdles.
@electrooptics |
www.electrooptics.com
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