The Social Trade Show: Leveraging Social Media and Virtual Events to Connect With Your Customers

23. Virtual Event Sponsor

Just as you might want to reach a wider audience by including a virtual component in your exhibit program, so might your show organizer. The fact is most association annual meetings attract only a small percentage of their membership. The American Dental Association says that less than 10 percent of its members attend the annual meeting. Many reasons factor into this, including budget cuts, increases in workloads, illnesses, family obligations, disabilities, and more. The for-profit shows have the same problem. They are able to attract a large number of quality attendees, but how many quality attendees cannot be there for one reason or another?

Yet, the annual meeting is one of the benefits of membership that associations ...