Virtual reality was very much a vision of the future less than 100 years ago. However, in recent years it has been intensely developed and having an immersive experience is becoming very popular. Virtual reality is widely accessible and marketers are finding it an increasingly valuable tool when pitching their businesses, products or services at business exhibitions. Virtual reality is now taking us away from the traditional exhibition experience, which involves wondering around until you find a stand that grabs your attention, then being approached by a sales representative and then listening to their sales pitch. Thanks to VR potential customers, business partners and influencers can now be fully immersed in a virtual experience as soon as they step onto the stand.

It is understandable that sometimes a brand’s mission, products or services are hard to explain with just words. Currently, exhibitors utilise graphics movies to try to stand out and get their messages across, but the majority of this is already available on their website. Doesn’t that defeat the objective of being there in the first place? This is why virtual reality has the edge and potential of becoming a preferred method of communicating at trade shows. Exhibitors now have the chance to offer an experience unlike ever before, a fully interactive memorable encounter.

Take Lufthansa Airlines for example, they partnered up with the tech company 3Spin to create the world’s first ever interactive 360-degree virtual reality experience in a Boeing 747 aircraft. During the “flight” passengers were greeted by the flight attendants and served food. They were even able to utilise motion controllers to hold and move virtual objects within the virtual adventure environment. The experience culminated with the arrival at a virtual holiday destination on a San Francisco beach. Lufthansa said:

“It has been very successful and the most interesting part is that you can try before you buy”.

So, the next time you plan on exhibiting at an event, why not consider immersing your potential customers into an experience they won’t forget with virtual reality. This kind of activity and interaction at trade shows has been proven to be extremely effective in closing a sale. It is important that the potential client has an experience that is memorable, so that when they come to weigh up their options, you stand out from the competition.

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