Personalization has been a big topic for a couple of years when it comes to a messe. With 97% of event planners believing personalization can change an attendee’s perception of an event.
Because it is worth it!
According to the Harvard Business Review, personalization delivers 5-8 times the ROI on marketing spent and can boost sales by 10%. After all, if you don’t provide something personal, be the experience or a demonstration, why would any customer prefer your products or services again and again?
Overcoming the Barriers to Personalization
But there are hurdles to implementation. Nearly everyone recognizes the potential of personalization but only 27% use it consistently.
An Events Force study reported the main barriers are lack of time and resources (60%), cost (49%), lack of technology (38%), and inaccurate data on their delegates (31%). These hurdles won’t evaporate in 2019. But the case for personalization will continue to grow ever-stronger as customer expectations change.
We’ll see more businesses investing in the technology needed to power personalization. We’ll get better at applying insights across business streams, to inform and structure our exhibitions and the content around them.
Making it More and More Personal
One size no longer fits all. Visitors, instead, will get product demos and brand experiences based on their interests.
Exhibition events in 2019 will look more like events and conferences, with structured sessions marketed to segments of your audience. Personalized pre-exhibition marketing will help you build a user-generated exhibition events agenda that is more engaging, and attracts more leads on the day.
Thus, personalization will become a norm in the coming years, with brands establishing target audiences. Then, according to this audience, the brands will create their marketing strategies.
