What we learned from a dozen iterations of ASAE’s “Demo Days” alongside Reggie Henry, CAE.
Being on the frontlines of an industry as new and emerging as virtual event planning, innovation is a top priority in doing what we do. Matchbox as a company is methodical about looking into bright spots with our clients of what engages audiences and what doesn’t – that way we can spin our findings into best practices. One of our biggest pain points in conversion from in-person practices to virtual ones has been in the realm of producing value for sponsors and exhibitors. This struggle is why we find it so important to share ASAE’s story – a pinnacle of innovation that serves to benefit both members and vendors alike, all through virtual means.
The Problem They Were Facing
For the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), the initial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown forced some quick thinking as to how to transfer their spring 2020 conference plans into virtual experiences. As did most organizations, ASAE initially applied somewhat of a copy/paste approach from in-person expo halls to virtual ones:
Each vendor hosted a live video “booth” in a virtual exhibit hall, within which members could hop from one room to the next for direct conversation with vendors, just as one would face-to-face.
And, just like most other organizations’ application of this format, the vendor booths were empty. Not entirely, but mostly, and vendors felt helpless. They held the solutions to many needs of ASAE’s members, but saw very little engagement.
Our data corroborates this. When the pandemic first hit and virtual expo halls were coming online, we poured over our data to understand the actual behaviors in the “hall”. We learned that quite simply, joining a zoom video conversation or a live chat in real time was not a behavior that felt natural. If the vendors did see activity in their rooms, it was mostly from people they already knew (existing clients, etc.)
You can just imagine how excruciating it would be for a vendor to sit in a video chat room or stare at a chat waiting for something to happen. And that’s what got Reggie Henry, Chief Information & Engagement Officer of ASAE, thinking:
Rather than having an “expo hall” that runs alongside an existing education experience, what would happen if they created a dedicated online event experience for buyers?
After all, in looking at the data of his online community, he could see that a good percentage of questions and interactions were around buying and selling recommendations. This was a good indication that such an event would be well received by members.
Flipping the script
In coining a format for a new kind of virtual “vendor showcase” that could yield real results, ASAE focused on two main factors:
Simplicity & intentionality
Simplicity, in order to keep the focus where it ought to be – on the vendors’ products & services, and intentionality, in order to give every individual a motivation to not only be present, but have an end goal. What is the specific intention, you ask? Finding solutions. From here on, members would become solution seekers and vendors would become solution providers, building a motivation for both parties which relies on one another to succeed. Here is what “Demo Days” came to look like:
Sets of 30-minute long demos of providers within similar product/service categories. Seekers are able to view each demo and engage with providers and fellow attendees in the chat and/or Q&A. Short & sweet demos viewable without the pressure of one-on-one interaction made seekers eager to attend and made providers eager to present.
“What began as a simple experiment boomed into a format which yielded larger qualified leads for our industry partners than we’ve seen in any other virtual format,”
– Reggie Henry, CAE
As a solution seeker, it held the convenience of a curated list of demos all in one place on one day (or set of days). It also leaned into the benefits of social buying: rather than watching all the demos alone, this meant that attendees could benefit from each other’s questions – and feel a sense of camaraderie while going through the demos with a community of people also making similar buying decisions. They could also learn from each other during the morning education session and wrap-up that ASAE provided.
It also allowed seekers the opportunity to review the marketing collateral of the providers in advance directly in the platform to decide which demos were right for them (Ask Matchbox about our “11 tips for attendees of vendor showcases” to learn the ways seekers can best leverage the format.)
As a solution provider, this turned out to be one of the highest value direct marketing opportunities ASAE could possibly offer. In a recent ASAE Demo Days event, there was an average of 87 people in each demo. From the perspective of the providers, the majority of those people were qualified leads coming specifically to see what they had to offer.
Further, using the tools available on the Matchbox platform, seekers could choose to drop their business card or request a meeting with the respective demo companies, therefore providing easy and tangible next steps.
This vendor showcase model has proven to be such a bright spot for ASAE, creating a significant new revenue channel, that for their technology conference in 2021, (which was delivered as a hybrid event), they made the decision to replace their in-person exhibit hall with a virtual vendor showcase. This allowed ASAE to provide meaningful ways for sponsors to engage directly in the F2F event, while marketing the vendor showcase to their full member base (rather than just the few hundred attending the conference.)
Over time, we’ve worked with ASAE to perfect this vendor showcase model. One of the benefits of the virtual space has been the ease of data access, and the results of demo days events have been analyzed by Matchbox and findings incorporated into the design. This data has informed things like demo timing, best practices and training for the solution providers, and how attendees might get the best out of their experience. We’re proud to share that we’re now offering Vendor Showcases as an digital initiative module, providing our curated resources and templates to help associations pilot for their own member and vendor communities.
