2020 saw a huge acceleration in the demand for digital platforms as part of the event hosting landscape, due to the crushing effect the coronavirus had on physical attendance. Thankfully for most brands, the demand for physical events has, and continues to recover well, post pandemic. We can assume this is, in part, due to interaction with any physical product being extremely hard to replicate in a virtual environment – as one of the 5 senses, touch is a key part of the marketing mix for many retail brands, and this is no different across the event industry.
While there is a huge range of analytical data available to support the use of digital platforms and building an online customer journey, the event industry has been slow to adopt technology which can provide data gathered on attendee behaviour at physical events. With budgets scrutinised more closely than ever in the current economic climate, there is growing pressure on brands to demonstrate how experiential marketing can add value to their wider marketing strategy – despite it being an increasingly popular element of the marketing mix and overall brand experience, it is also notoriously difficult to quantify – a lack of accurate technology has made analysing audience behaviour challenging in the past. However, with more ways to capture audience insights available than ever before, gathering data at physical events to inform and develop a brand’s overall marketing strategy should become a standard requirement to demonstrate event ROI back to the business.
“Until very recently, I think data analysis at events has been seen as a luxury – but now that digital platforms offer powerful understandings regarding online behaviour, we have to start demanding the same of our physical events – data collection and audience insights should be as critical to an exhibitor as the electricity they need to power their space.” Rob Murdoch, Managing Director, Exposure Analytics.
As the market leader in the provision of real-time tracking technology, Exposure Analytics offer detailed data analysis across any event venue, helping brands to understand visitor behaviour and glean insights that will maximise allocated budgets and resource during the event.
Using discreet sensor-led technology, Exposure Analytics gathers anonymous data to provide exhibitors with real-time insight of visitor behaviour in a defined venue/event space. Our data points enable detailed analysis of:
- Unique and repeat visitor counts
- Visitor dwell time
- The conversion rates of passing to engaged/on stand traffic
- Traffic flow around the venue/event space
- Peak periods of footfall
- Busy vs. Quieter areas of a space, and how these change over a time-period
- Precise visitor movements around a defined space
Data is presented through an online dashboard, which can be accessed by remote support teams where required. When presented in real-time format, the data gathered unlocks huge potential when it comes to event and stand planning:
- Precise visitor numbers provide the foundation statistics for building accurate event ROI
- Understanding visitor movements to display hero products/staff/brand messaging in areas where they will receive maximum exposure
- Using traffic flow and engagement to determine stand layout for optimal customer experience
- Creating effective staffing plans according to the busy/quiet areas of the venue, and peak footfall times across the duration of the event.
- Ensuring sales staff and support crew are best positioned to service as many visitors as possible, and create a stand experience that is reflective of the brand
“I’ve used Exposure Analytics technology to analyse a major exhibition I have presence at on a biennial basis. We apportion a large percentage of our annual budget to the event, and Exposure’s technology has really helped to inform me about how our audience behaves when they visit our stand. Since I’ve been integrating the technology into the event, I’ve been able to use the insights to develop a more interactive customer experience, manage staffing across the stand more effectively and build a robust ROI report following the event, which has secured budget for future years. From the moment I logged into the online dashboard for the first time, I knew that the technology would enable me to provide total justification of expenditure to the rest of the business.” Rebecca Pell, Marketing Communications Manager.
Exposure Analytics’ technology can cover any size of venue and runs off a simple 4G connection and power source. Our two types of sensors both offer detailed data analysis to inform decision making and supply superior levels of audience behaviour at events, in line with brand objectives.
Feature
Responses