ON SHOW SOLUTIONS CASE STUDY

Focusing on the future

A case study on how global organisers, On Show Solutions moved their tourism roadshows into a virtual world.

By Jacqui Reynolds, co-owner of On Show Solutions - global organisers of Africa Showcase.

We realised early in the pandemic that you can have an incredibly successful business, but without clients, you’re nobody. Tourism and events (especially tourism events) had halted overnight. After the initial shock, we realised that we did not want to hibernate and wait this out, but rather jump in with both feet.

Why? We needed to play our part in giving the tourism industry, and especially our clients, a channel for recovery. The vehicle and the venue would be different, but the one constant that remains is that we get to continue doing what we’re passionate about - connecting African tourism companies to the best Africa specialists globally.

It’s been exciting to be part of this initiative for Africa Showcase. We’re always evolving our roadshows to improve year on year, but our global team truly rallied together to ensure we could offer an impactful solution for our virtual world.

From September to November 2020, AFRICA SHOWCASE ONLINE embarked on a digital world tour hosting events with tourism buyers in North America, Australia and New Zealand, UK and Ireland and Mitteleuropa (the German-speaking market).

How did we do it?

We approached the virtual world a little differently to all the other online platforms. After extensive research we knew we did not want to be in a gaming world with pretend avatars. We did not want to use a one-size-fits-all software option. We wanted to create the feeling of being at one of our signature roadshows. We were very aware that some of our older buyers in the markets would just not get the hang of a virtual showcase if it was too technical.

So we sewed together three elements to make it work. Integration between a web-based event platform, looping pre-scheduled meetings and a live studio feed enabled participants to get the full virtual experience. We encouraged our exhibitors to present from their properties, wherever Covid-19 regulations allowed, to create a virtual fam trip for the participants. International buyers could see into the safari camps, feel the African sunset/sunrise depending on our time zones and be reminded of all the amazing experiences that our continent offers.

The new reality is that professional event organisers now need a wider set of skills to incorporate a range of technical proficiencies, experience of digital marketing, understanding of broadcast and production, video creation and design. Virtual shows are actually more work than physical events with less room for error. There is a misconception that virtual events should be free, but to do it properly there are significant cost factors.

Our events have always delivered a strong return on investment for participants with media and marketing coverage to attract the right audiences and we’ve always compiled solid post-show reports. Our online system offers further credibility, trackability of meetings and full analytics. Our matchmaking team offers a concierge service to pre-schedule all the meetings with qualified buyers who are invited by our global network of facilitators.

While we cannot see into the meetings (ensuring exhibitors can still have private discussions), our video calling allows us to see who should be on the call and if anyone drops off, then our virtual helpdesk can assist in real time. The meetings are set to loop one into the next, so each meeting arrives seamlessly in the same way that our ‘speed marketing’ works in our physical events. We can do one-on-one meetings or one-to-many. The event platform can be fully branded and we can easily adapt it for small and intimate events as well as large-scale events.

What does a digital audience want?

We already knew that we were moving towards a digital future; Covid-19 has accelerated this. The nature of human interaction has been hugely affected, but people still want to connect. Our tourism sector is a particularly social bunch and we know how important it is for people to see people.

Audiences in a virtual world expect:

• Authenticity and a human touch.

• Participation in an engaging experience.

• Ability to self-select their experience.

• Right content right now.

• To be entertained.

Research shows that participants in virtual events are not looking to be sold to. So we encourage our exhibitors to get to know the buyers and to be storytellers about their products. This is an opportunity to sell the dream of African travel in their own words from their unique location. Eighty per cent of people join virtual events for educational purposes; the next biggest reason is networking. Audience engagement is the largest challenge and we’ve tried to work some enjoyable elements into the online showcases. We run live travel quizzes throughout the events with questions featuring our exhibitors. We encourage the buyers to upload photos of themselves on safari or dressed in safari gear in their homes. We want to see what they look like on the other side of the screen, to create connections in a fun way and not only in business meetings.

What’s next for Africa Showcase?

The next edition for Africa Showcase Online is scheduled for 22 – 26 March 2021. Travellers from Europe are tipped to be the first wave of international visitors once the vaccine is sufficiently rolled out and general perception about travel safety starts to open up. The showcase will deliver the latest market insights and direct meetings with four prime markets:

• Nordics 22 – 23 March 2021

• Central Eastern Europe and Russia 23 – 24 March 2021

• Southern Europe 24 – 25 March 2021

• Mitteleuropa and Benelux 25 – 26 March 2021