Remember how, in the mid-2000s, “virtual” trade shows took the place of live ones?

Neither do I.

Back when it was a new idea to push everything online, several companies offered the promise of fully-virtualized trade shows (virtually perfect) that could take the place of live events; brands would purchase virtual “booths,” attendees would purchase virtual “passes,” and no one would ever have to leave the confines of their office cubical to encounter the latest industry products and ideas.

The results were as dismal as it sounds. Nothing can replace face-to-face interaction with real clients, real prospects, and real people.

However, like many bold, new ideas that fizzle, they left their mark, and what emerged is the idea of a virtual trade show booth.  These are not meant to replace your physical presence on the show floor, but to AUGMENT it, and, by virtue of it being online, GLOBALIZE it.

Imagine being able to visit a booth on the show floor, and then have the ability to REVISIT it after you return to your office, or later in the day in your hotel room, or over a cup of coffee?  And if you cannot attend the show, you could still visit the booth virtually, learn about what’s new, and then interact with a live human being. Also, a virtual booth by its very nature globalizes your tradeshow presence (and investment).

But, I hear you thinking, at what cost? Consider this:

• When your booth is being designed and created (by your Exhibit Design House, of course), detailed, 3D CAD drawings are produced, which can be used to render more detailed images of your exhibit property.

• Media, messaging, signage, and other engagement interactions are created for your tradeshow presence, which, when the show is over, vanish.

• Your website is also a rich source of content, including product imagery, brochures, performance videos, case studies etc.

But what if there was a technology that could bring all of these elements together in a low-cost, ergonomic way?

MyDisplaySource.com has identified this unifying technology, and it’s Prezi.  You may have heard of Prezi in your search for eye-catching proposal and presentation strategies, and some of you reading this may already utilize it.  For those who do, you’re way ahead of me.

Prezi can take all of the elements I listed above and render a 3-Dimensional fly-through of your exhibit.  This fly-though can be programmed (with a push of a button, you are taken on a pre-planned journey), or it can be explored manually (with you or a sales rep visiting only areas that are relevant.)

Your existing media and messaging deliver rich content, and the attendee may connect with a real, live person on the other end.

Cost?  Surprisingly affordable, considering you already have the majority of the assets sitting on your shelf.  But you do need one more thing; design skills.

Many marketers have become PowerPoint or Keynote gurus; I’m one myself.  But Prezi requires a different skill set … a real designer’s mentality and POV.

So, where can you find this “designers” eye, who knows tradeshows, and who has access to all of the elements I detailed?

I guess this is why you’re reading about this on MyDisplaySource.com, the Exhibit DESIGN House.  In fact, we’ve been doing this for our clients quite a bit lately, including Samsung, and the results have been terrific.

So, if you have the Prezi skills to implement the strategy I suggested in this article … go for it!

But if, like most people, you’d like some help—help that is surprisingly affordable—give us a call.  We’ll show you real-world examples of how we’ve helped our client virtualize their booth so they can leverage it in their website, email, and social media campaigns, and even include it as a giveaway (via Flash Drive) in their exhibit.

A virtual exhibit transforms your 3-day event into a year-long (or longer) marketing engagement tool.