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Virtual Trade Show Platform Pricing

    

When researching virtual event platforms, one of the most annoying things for show organizers is not being able to get an accurate price for their show. If you are running your first show online, it is hard to know how many attendees will attend. It is also difficult to know how many exhibitors will register and how many classes you will be offering. Most platforms require these numbers to give you a precise quote. It can also be hard to know if you can afford the platform and what your ROI will be from the show.

Here are some tips to keep your cost down and get an accurate quote from the platforms that are interviewing.

Number of Attendees: The easiest way to deal with this issue is to use a platform that does not charge per attendee. It is hard to know how many people will attend an online event when all your previous events have been in person. If you are charging your attendees, you can generally expect 30-45% of your usual live attendance. If your program is free to attend you can expect upwards of 100 times your usual attendance, depending on your industry. Consumer shows are seeing huge attendance online while B2B events are seeing double the number of attendees at virtual shows.

Classes: Most virtual event platforms will charge for the number of presentations. Many will charge if you go over a certain number of attendees. Make sure to fully understand how each platform charges for classes. Also, check if there is a cap on the number of session attendees and if there is a fee for offering CEU’s through the platform. 

Length of Show: Understand how each platform charges for show length. Some platforms charge per person and others charge per day of a live show. Think through if you really need to run a 5-day show because you always have in the past. Online, it may be possible to accomplish the same goals in 2 days. Also, make sure to understand if each platform charges to host your show online after the live days. This way attendees can continue to access the materials beyond the show days.

Exhibitor and Sponsor Booths: It is extremely important to know what is included with your virtual booths and if any of the features cost more. If this is your first show you may not know what you really want for your booths. [JR6] If there are additional fees associated with extra features, you need to know that ahead of time and plan to most likely spend more than the basic package.

The Showmetry Online Trade Show Platform charges a flat fee per booth and day with no fee for attendees.  To get a quote for your upcoming show visit www.showmetry.com