How to make virtual events better for exhibitors and sponsors

Exhibitor sentiment for virtual events is low according to our latest benchmarks. In March 2020, we started benchmarking exhibitor and sponsor sentiment towards virtual events. We compared these findings to over 3 million data points we hold about the live attendee experience. The benchmarks show that exhibitor Net Promoter Score is significantly lower than live events. It also demonstrates that exhibitors are having a hard time overall proving the return on investment of virtual events. 

Our client, Seatrade Cruise (an Informa brand) achieved outstanding exhibitor results for their first virtual event. Seatrade Cruise Virtual took place from 5th-8th October 2020 attracting over 11,000 attendees and 750 exhibitors. The event team measured their post-event exhibitor feedback using our event feedback platform. The results show exhibitors scored the virtual event higher than Explori’s benchmarks across all key metrics. 

Our Research Director Suzanne van Montfoort said, “Seatrade Cruise’s exhibitor Net Promoter Score was 40 points higher than our current virtual events benchmarks. They also scored higher for Overall Satisfaction, Likelihood of Return and Return on Investment. This demonstrates that though exhibitor sentiment across the industry is low there are organisers who are finding ways to deliver a valuable experience for their exhibitors until they are able to return to events in-person.”

Click here to find out how the Seatrade Cruise team did it.