One of the most popular phrases over the past year has been; When things go back to normal…

I for one would welcome life returning to what it was before the pandemic. But if history teaches us anything, it is that whenever there is a world-changing event, life and business are never the same again. When it comes to business, that can be devastating for many, but for those who choose to capitalize on opportunities and position themselves properly, the new normal can be a game-changer for their companies. 

For many businesses across hundreds of industries; trade shows, conferences, and countless other industry events came to a screeching halt in 2020 and caused many organizers to scramble to find ways to still host events, and for companies to find ways to participate. The obvious alternative to live events of course was to go virtual. Just as companies implemented Zoom meetings in order to keep their teams connected, virtual events became a way for many event organizers to still provide value and opportunities to companies that use events to grow their brands and acquire potential revenue growth opportunities.

As Director of Business Development here at Captello, I’ve had the privilege to speak with companies across dozens of industries, in various countries regarding their experience with virtual events, and I can honestly say that the feedback I’ve received is not flattering. Of all the challenges that were voiced to me during these conversations, engagement and quality of leads were the biggest challenges participants encountered with virtual events. Lives events obviously allow for creative ways to engage prospects on the floor and to network with them at after-party events. Virtual, on the other hand, eliminates what so many attendees love about going to these shows and conferences. However, there are some unique benefits that come from attending virtual shows and conferences. Overall, they are less expensive to produce, participate in, and send people to.

As we bring this first quarter of 2021 to a close, we are seeing live events slowly making a comeback, and a lot of them are set for the end of Q2, heading into Q3. And, even with live events being put back onto the calendar, many organizers are planning hybrid events combining both live and virtual opportunities, and this my friends is where the game-changing opportunities for your company exist. The question is whether you will move to capitalize on these hybrid events, or simply choose one over the other. What are you doing to give your company, your marketing and sales teams the best chance of succeeding in this new hybrid world? Are you looking at more ways to engage with your prospects in the virtual space, as well as at live events? Are you investigating new ways and modalities that will allow you to capture leads more effectively, and accelerate the speed at which your sales teams are able to act on them? Do you have a strategy for capitalizing on the return of live events, or are you simply going to continue doing what you have done in the past because it’s what you know?

Capello’s Gamification platform is changing the paradigm for both Live and Virtual Events and is quickly becoming part of every marketer’s tool kit when creating their strategy for success in 2021 and beyond. For information on how Captello can improve event and campaign performance for your company, start by downloading these resources:

PDF: Games with Lead Capture & Rewards
PDF: Universal Lead Capture

– Erik Hayes, Director of Business Development – Captello

Captello provides cloud-based marketing and sales automation solutions that help businesses worldwide attract, convert and close leads.

Lead capture enthusiasts, such as trade show coordinators, retail marketers, and event marketers directly benefit from improved lead retrieval workflow, in particular, being able to send marketing qualified leads to an endless array of CRM and marketing automation platforms. The solution empowers enthusiasts to do their job better by effectively measuring results, capturing crucial sales insights, and supercharging their organization with a seamless lead flow process from capture to close.