The Challenge
While many companies are adjusting to limited or non-existent opportunities to meet with clients in person, ABB’s Electrification Business faced an additional challenge: How to maintain contact with clients who learned about their new products at trade shows? The group had several in person events slated for Fall 2020, and they wanted to maintain momentum for these product lines. How could ABB provide a similar customer experience without direct, personal interaction that they once had on the trade show floor?
To find out, ABB turned to Staging Solutions with an idea: Could Staging Solutions help craft an interactive experience, with live hosts, in an actual trade show booth, for customers to attend online?
The answer? Positively!
The Solution
Staging Solutions leveraged its capabilities through design and media to bring ABB’s virtual trade show vision to life. First, the live hosts: ABB hired actors who had worked with ABB on several projects and were familiar with the product lines. The actors quarantined together during COVID, ensuring their personal safety in the studio while they presented on camera. Next, the customary trade show booths for three events targeting three specific audiences were installed in a production studio; then, Staging Solutions directed a live studio shoot of the hosts leading guided tours through the products that would have been on display at the three trade shows, and edited the footage to customize each tour.
Meanwhile, Staging’s design team worked with technical specialists to map out the online experience for attendees, creating a branded, web-based environment featuring the host segments and guide viewers through each of the three showcases. In addition, the media team produced product videos for selected products that viewers could watch for more detailed product information.
The virtual framework for each of the three events accommodated a wealth of content provided by the client. This included websites, documents, pre-existing videos, and links to webinars and other resources; and included an interactive opportunity to schedule time with product experts.
The Conclusion
The virtual attendee experience mimicked an in-person interaction in every possible way. Attendees were greeted by the hosts upon arrival and given a tour overview of products in each exhibit; they were then welcome to navigate the booth as they wished, stop to explore the products that interested them, and enjoy trivia games with prizes, and entertainment from mentalist Kevin Viner – all without leaving the comfort of their own home or office! Now that is an experience that will help customers get out of virtual fatigue
Staging Solutions provides comprehensive creative design and technical execution for on-site and in-studio video production, virtual content, and interactive components. ABB leveraged these services to maintain contact with customers on a similar timeline to their original, in-person events; but what really closes the circuit for us is a satisfied client:
