COVID-19 Will Kill More Businesses Than People

March 19, 2020 - Globally - Covid-19 threatens to kill more businesses and have a longer lasting financial impact, globally, if we do not fight back and adapt.

Lets breakdown some math...

1-Kitchens & Bath Show

600-Exhibitors

100K-Buyers/Specifiers

$31B-Industry

That was the information reported by KBIS for their 2019 Kitchens and Bath Show (https://www.kbbonline.com/news/business/kbis-2019-draws-record-attendance/)

One trade show, draws 600 Exhibitors, with 100,000 Buyers, Specifiers and Attendees. The Kitchens and Baths industry is worth approximately $31,000,000,000.00 annually.

Lets de-construct the math...

Lets pretend that the annual Kitchens and Bath show, couldn't happen this year...

No, place for the 600 Exhibitors to set up booths...

No, Exhibitors for the 100K-Attendees to go see product, ask questions, write orders and build relationships with Sales Reps and other Attendees.

How would that impact the $31-Billion dollars that the Kitchens and Bath industry generates in revenue?

The Effects Of COVID-19 On Commerce

For healthy people, Covid-19 will be a flu-like virus that they will recover from. For an ever growing segment of the population, Covid-19 will be deadly. As a global community, we are doing the right thing by shutting down pubic events and attempting to contain and slow the spread of this virus.

This is a responsible and moral reaction. And as a global community, we are learning to come together and protect our neighbors. That in of itself is something to appreciate and take stock of.

But we live in a day and age, where we have global communication and access to resources through our smart phones and digital devices, that only 30-years ago, were considered science fiction.

Between 2014 and 2020, I personally attended 91 trade shows, expos and market events. I truly appreciate the value of a trade show.

In fact, here are some great trade show statistics:

• 88% of Exhibitors participate in trade shows to raise awareness of the company and its brand
• 72% of Exhibitors participate to get leads from new buyers and prospects
• The top 3 sales-related objectives at trade shows are related to relationship management and engagement

What is the value associated with trade shows?

• The cost of a face-to-face meeting with a prospect at a trade show is $142. The cost of a face-to-face meeting at a prospect’s office is $259
• 92% of trade show attendees come to see and learn about what’s new in products and services
• 77% of executive decision makers found at least one new supplier at the last show they attended
• 45% of attendees visit only one exhibition per year
• 81% of trade show attendees have buying authority

Trade Shows Are Great For Commerce...

In general, the benefits of exhibiting at a trade show are great and many. From the dollar-for-dollar savings, product and brand awareness, relationship building, and the ability to write orders and sell product.

But, as of March 16, 2020 trade shows have been canceled throughout the country and globally. This valuable resource, is for the moment, not an option.

Were There Any Downsides To Trade Shows...Yes.

Well, to be fair...we knew trade shows were not without their faults.

Here are some of the more common complaints about trade shows:

1. 45% Site cost of attendance
2. 45% Not getting the right spot on the conference floor
3. 36% Site low-value leads
4. 27% Say company booth was overshadowed by bigger players
5. 20. 56% of trade show attendees travel more than 400 miles to attend an exhibition

So, we know that trade shows are valuable. And we also know that even though they are valuable, there was room for improvement.

The cost to exhibit and the cost to attend is not going down. People are also finding products and solutions faster on the internet. And now, even though people are willing to travel more than 400 miles just to see and touch products, with the new travel restrictions, that's not even possible.

So, how do we fight back?

When was the last time you watched QVC? And...when was the last time you checked your Facebook feed?

Did you know that in 2019, 2-Billion people watch Facebook LIVE videos?

Here are some other fun facts about Facebook LIVE videos:

• 6 Times as many interactions as traditional videos
• 10-Times more comments than regular videos
• 3-Times longer watch time than pre-uploaded videos

"QVC-Style" Product Presentations + FB LIVE Remote Broadcasting And Viewer Engagement

What if we could create the same type of product presentation capability you would get at a trade show, coupled with the ability for attendees (or viewers) to experience multiple vendors products, benefit from the collective audience, with the ability to write and process orders, ensure interaction and do it all at a fraction of the cost of trade show attendance?

And, it wouldn't require travel, or the need for attendees to be in a giant convention hall together...

The LIVE Broadcast Network Introduces FB LIVE "QVC-Style" Virtual Market Environment

The Safety Of "Social Distancing" With The Ability To Engage Audiences And Process Orders

Lets compare the benefits of trade shows to The LBN...

Right away it's easy to see that streaming meets and exceeds the values and benefits of trade show attendance. The Cost Per Lead is dramatically lower.

Included with The Live Broadcast Network pricing structure, The LBN allocates ad spend through Facebook with an estimated viewership of 6.9K-19.9K over a 5-Day ad campaign period. And not only can attendees attend/view multiple broadcasts for FREE. They don't need to travel at all in order to attend. Meaning you have the ability to get your products in front of a much, much larger audience.

Lets compare the downside of Trade Shows to The LBN...

How much do you spend on trade show booths? Ink Well USA reports that a 10'X10' booth space at an average of $100-150 a sqft can cost $14K-$42K. With the average booth space at approximately $40K-$60K.

So, even at the low-end, with a booth in the back of the conference hall, in the corner, with the blue divider curtain...That space will cost you $9,000.00 more than your time on The Live Broadcast Network.

Is The LBN Open To The Public?

Yes. And, no. With Facebook LIVE settings, each broadcast can feature different settings. So, if you would like to benefit from a larger, more organic audience, then we would simply set the broadcast to "Public". If you would like to limit your audience, we can set up a ticket system or "Private" broadcast.

But your website is already set up to separate the public from verified clients. So, if you were to post a link to a page on your site that required credentials or a special log-in process, if a the viewer who does not have the proper credentials, were to click the link, they would not be able to get past your log-in wall.

The Fact Is, We Do Not Need To Be Crippled By Covid-19

And, we already knew that we need to find another option to trade shows. We simply didn't realize that we would be shoved out of the venues in all of the great trade show cities, like this virus has forced us to be.

But, we can fight this. The flow of product can still reach consumers, retailers and distributors. We simply have to consider another way.

The Live Broadcast Network has found a better way, regardless of Covid-19. We can fight back. And we can win.

For more information about The Live Broadcast Network, please visit us at:

www.thelivebroadcastnetwork.com/hpmkt-live-stream

For information on partnering with The LBN for an upcoming industry event or trade show, please email us at:

[email protected]

The Live Broadcast Network ?2020