Post-Covid, global exhibitions & events industry adopts technology to bring businesses together

Following the Covid pandemic, questions were raised on how production patterns would change and whether global economic activity would revert to how it was before. Amid doubt, new behavioural conventions and expectations have emerged, transforming industrial activity and how businesses are being conducted. Today, virtual business meetings, online schooling and health consultations are the ‘new normal’.

As nations enforced restrictions on movement and one-to-one contact, the exhibitions and events industry, like several other sectors, came to a standstill. However, these testing times also brought an opportunity to identify extraordinary solutions. The crisis has helped the sector to re-innovate and re-evaluate the ‘usual’ ways of doing business and create new and different experiences for its clients.

Exhibitions industry adapts to the post-pandemic world
The pandemic has had a profound impact on how people live their lives and is accelerating changes in consumer behaviour through our willingness to adopt new digital tools and services into our daily lives. Whether in India or overseas, the past two years have kept the spotlight on business continuity, and technology has played a key role for businesses and people to stay connected and working.

The use of digital tech played a crucial role in the survival of the event industry in the ‘new normal’. In the last two years, more and more exhibitors and visitors have shown interest and tried at least two to three digital services, and acceptance of digital tools is increasing over time.

Virtual industry events
In the last two years, technological developments largely facilitated the online conduct of exhibitions, conferences, seminars/webinars, and meetings focused across sectors. Multiple online platforms gained popularity and continued to upgrade to offer features such as live sessions, virtual presentations, one-to-one interactions, and pre-recorded content. What’s more, the ability to access the recorded information once the event was over, provided an excellent experience for the audience.

Personalisation
The events organised during and post-covid allowed the consumers to enjoy the experience from the comfort of their homes and gave a personalised touch to the participants. However, this had its drawbacks as well. Such interaction limited the real-time exposure to the extended experience of multiple stalls, the intrigue to explore the products and solutions, as well as the charged energy of discussions and debates.

Global connectivity
Perhaps, the momentous change experienced by the industry and the participants was that the world became a global village, bringing together businesses and customers from across nations on a virtual platform from the safety of their cities and homes. Virtual events also allowed content sharing, showcasing product line, and presenting research materials to a larger audience at one go.

Present scenario
As businesses around the world resume usual activity, companies have already moved ahead and are building upon the technological upgrades initiated during the lockdown. Outside-the-box ideas and tech-savvy employees are in high demand. Organisations are looking to unlock the value of innovation and technology to transform their businesses and even adopt a hybrid system of functioning to boost efficiency and achieve cost-cutting.

While technology came to the rescue of businesses, so did it for the world of exhibitions and conferences, which continued functioning through virtual expo platforms. However, the sector soon realised that one cannot replicate the quality of engagement during face-to-face contact with a virtual experience.

Increased digital activity is now closely aligned with the physical event, and exhibitors are gradually maturing in their understanding of what works online. The exhibitions industry can now leverage technology to enhance on-ground events by connecting virtually with speakers from around the world, providing apps to facilitate buyer-seller meets, etc. However, at the end of the day, nothing can replace a physical platform that enables people to engage in-person, and brands/companies to showcase their technologies and solutions in a physical format. Businesses must physically participate in an expo to experience quality engagement and get the best results!

About Convergence India and Smart Cities India expos
Celebrating 30 glorious years of success, Convergence India has been at the forefront of India’s digital and telecom revolution. It is the largest technology and infrastructure expo in the country that showcases emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, Mobile India, Embedded Tech, Fintech and Digital Gaming.

Similarly, the Smart Cities India expo aims to deliver better citizen-centric services by showcasing the latest technologies and solutions in the fields of green buildings, energy, transport, clean environment, etc., and integrating them into urban development for optimising resources and making cities smart and sustainable.

Co-organised by the Exhibitions India Group (EIG), India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), and the Smart Cities Mission under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the 30th Convergence India along with the 8th Smart Cities India expo, is scheduled to be held at the Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from 27-29 March 2023. Over the years, the two expos have provided a launchpad for many Indian companies, including startups, to expand business opportunities domestically and overseas, thus, giving them a chance to consolidate their position and emerge as global players and influencers. They have also provided a platform to showcase ‘Brand India’ by promoting the ‘Make in India’, ‘Digital India’ ‘Startup India’ and the ‘Smart Cities Mission’ campaigns.

With this year’s theme of “Innovation Driving Sustainability”, the 2023 edition will bring together the latest technology innovations and trends in the fields of telecom, Satcom, broadcast, wired/wireless technologies, 5G & 6G networks, IT solutions such as Cloud, Big Data & Analytics, AI, smart homes, smart solutions, clean tech & solutions, security & surveillance, M2M, Mobiles & Accessories, IoT, Embedded tech, Blockchain, FinTech, Digital Gaming, and much more.

This year, the 30th Convergence India and 8th Smart Cities India expo are bigger and better than before, with over 1,000 participants from 40 countries, including over 200 startups from across the nation, congregating on a common platform to exchange ideas and deliberate on the future of the industry. A series of conferences will be organised alongside the three-day event, where about 100 senior speakers from the government and industry will share experiences and provide inputs on the challenges faced by various sectors. Over 40,000 visitors will get a chance to interact, explore and make alliances in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.

CT Bureau