https://avatour.co/tours/Due to the spread of coronavirus, trade shows, fairs, and exhibitions scattered across the globe have been canceled and postponed. Whether in North America, Europe, Asia, or another region, it seems that every week there’s another trade show cancellation somewhere in the world.

For businesses and organizations that rely on trade shows to increase revenue and boost sales, financial losses can be overwhelming. Right now, there’s not much we can do to help eventually resume normality other than to social distance and self-isolate at home.

But, there’s an alternative way to drive sales without having to travel during the pandemic: that is, remote presence sales. Curious? Keep reading!

Trade Shows Have Been Canceled Globally

Any businesses that use international trade fairs and events to generate revenue will understand how important it is to attend these events. These shows offer the chance to meet up with potential customers and clients, discuss the latest developments and products of their brand, and close a few deals.

Experiencing a product demonstration or a brand presentation up close and personal can be crucial for some buyers to feel comfortable in making a sale. Usually, a trade show or exhibition is the perfect environment for that. But, with coronavirus spreading around the globe, business transactions and close contact socializing of the sort are no longer appropriate.

As a result, these events have been canceled or postponed. The first huge trade show that fell victim to coronavirus was the World Mobile Congress (WMC) which was scheduled for February. The event is the largest mobile technology event that takes place annually in Barcelona, Spain.

Then, a string of fairs followed suit such as the International Tourism Fair (ITV) in Berlin, the Geneva Motor Show, and a series of meetings spread across various industries around the world including in wine, handicrafts, and books.

Globally, more than 500 trade shows have been canceled, costing more than $26 billion to companies. While this initially affects individual businesses, it creates an escalating ripple effect on whole industries.

The good news is that many of the events taking place in this quarter are being postponed rather than completely canceled, with the idea that they’ll be rescheduled for later in the year. This can help to reduce the mid to long-term impact. But for small businesses especially, such postponements can have a drastic effect, leaving them stuck without a steady income.

Right now, many brands are wondering how they’re going to survive the next few months without having the opportunity to drive sales face-to-face.

Remote Presence for Sales with AVATOUR

A trade show canceled shouldn’t stop you, as there are remote presence sales. Yes, coronavirus is disrupting trade shows and exhibitions around the world. But with AVATOUR, the product demonstration, brand discussion, or venue tour can come straight to potential clients and customers. Using Remote Presence AVATOUR enables you to be in a real place in real-time – wherever you are.

Use AVATOUR in a Range of Different Industries

The great news is that AVATOUR can benefit companies in almost any industry, from real estate to hospitality to retail.

Let’s say that you’re a hotel that specializes in hosting weddings, and you had an important wedding fair coming up. This event may have been the chance for you to discuss the hotel with engaged couples, show pictures of the venue, and perhaps talk them through the logistics of the wedding day.

By using AVATOUR’s Virtual Trade Show, you can go one-up on the wedding fair by offering couples a real-time live tour of the venue. Couples can see exactly how the reception or ceremony room will look from your viewpoint. You can also answer questions and discuss anything venue-related as you would at the wedding show.

You can then suggest the option of your couple inviting remote visitors to their wedding using AVATOUR. This works especially well for couples who have family and friends living across the world who would love to attend but aren’t able to travel to the event.

Or, perhaps you’re a jewelry brand hoping to sell your goods to a few boutiques in a certain area. Using AVATOUR, you can demonstrate the products, allowing store owners to admire the pieces up close, as they would at a trade event or fair. Likewise, the store owner can offer you a tour of the boutique. That way you can see if the store is the kind of environment that works well for your jewelry without having to travel during these uncertain times.

While having important trade shows and exhibitions canceled is frustrating, selling your venue or products using remote presence has its benefits. By using AVATOUR, instead of traveling to your clients, you can save time and money by enabling real-time meetings. With the extra time, you can put extra planning into your pitch, making your time even more productive.

Another plus is that AVATOUR’s Virtual Trade Show helps companies and individuals reduce their carbon footprint to become more sustainable, a quality that’s becoming increasingly attractive in brands nowadays. So don’t worry about that trade show being canceled and try AVATOUR.

How It Works

So, how does it all work? Setting up with AVATOUR is easy. You’ll need a low-cost 360° camera, a selfie stick, and an audio headset. As a seller, these are the tools that will allow you to offer live virtual tours and product demonstrations while speaking to guests. At the scheduled meeting time, up to 5 guests located anywhere in the world can use a VR headset or any mobile device or desktop to virtually join you at your venue or product demonstration.

Resume selling and create a unique experience to drive sales!

Get in touch to schedule a demo to experience remote presence for yourself. Learn more about how you can sell and drive those leads you are missing from tradeshows and don’t let Coronavirus hold you back.