Why online sales events have failed

Dear Reader,

Welcome to issue 3 of #SupplierPost(s) ?? - the biweekly newsletter with information and thoughts for MICE marketing and sales in a changed market. Yours Peter

With the onset of the pandemic, suppliers in the MICE industry have converted their usual sales call methods to online sales calls. This worked very well in the beginning.

For months, week after week and day after day, suppliers from the MICE industry such as convention bureaus, hotels, hotel chains, DMC's and DMC representatives have been inviting event planners to online events. The invitations pile up and the interest among the target group dwindles from week to week and from day to day.

First, it is absolutely right to use online communication more strongly and intensively in order to reach the target group via content. This is definitely the right step for suppliers in the MICE industry, but unfortunately it does not work at all the way it is done! And this leads to the target groups turning away, interest waning and, not least, the online formats being blamed for this.?

Even now, the credo in the corridors of MICE sales is "real sales calls at sales events and trade fairs are better, online can't do that". This is a pity, because it is certainly not because of the "online channel", but only because it is mostly misused and mishandled by MICE Sales. The mechanisms of personal sales and business initiation that have been practised for years are transferred 1-to-1 to the virtual world, and then they don't work at all. Why not?

Put simply, MICE Sales operates according to the method: appointments bring business. More appointments -> more potential business opportunities. Everything is subordinated to this, if only enough appointments with target buyers take place in a defined time frame.?

Sales event organizers and trade fair organizers have adopted this method and developed it into a business model. The mechanics are simple: the event planner enjoys very exclusive hosted buyer programmes and numerous amenities in return for a minimum number of mandatory appointments. The only thing that counts is the face-to-face contact. It does not matter whether the buyer is actually interested in the supplier's offers. Great if it is, but most of the time the meeting of buyer and supplier is a matchmaking system done by the organizer. And if you look closely, it is a fact that a participant (buyer) does not know on the day he registers for the sales event / exhibition which suppliers are waiting for him on site. But what exactly is the motivation to register in the first place? It is the convenience of the Hosted Buyer Programme.?(Sorry to tell ??)

Due to digitalization in the industry and the increasing use of online platforms and services by target customers, this form has been weakening more and more for years. These sales methods are simply no longer up to date, because the behaviour of the target group has changed considerably. However, this is hardly noticed by MICE Sales. They are willing to spend large sums of money so that target customers even show up for appointments (hosted buyer programs), but they are not willing to fundamentally revise MICE sales. There is clearly a lack of courage and competence.

? Question: Would Amazon offer its products in a closed online event?

?? Answer: No! But why the hell does MICE Sales do exactly that? ??

Online sales works (see Amazon and Co.) according to the rules: Attention -> being considered -> conversations -> purchase decision.

Does Amazon or any other online shop invite their target group to closed online events where you have to register and log in to participate and see the content? Of course not. Why not? Because every product first needs attention to create demand and to be found by the target group. The simple truth applies here: "What can't be found by Google doesn't exist." And what Google doesn't find, you can't buy.

But why do MICE sales do exactly that? Why does he present his products and services behind closed virtual doors, so that - apart from a small group of participants - no one finds out about it, no awareness can be built up and not even Google can access this content behind closed doors? It's obvious that you can't have any sales success online like that!

There are a few basic rules and if you follow them, online sales are a success.

• It doesn't work without awareness. Products and services shown in closed virtual online events cannot gain attention if not even Google can find them. The handful of participants can't share and pass on the content.
• Content must always be available for the target group, no matter where, how, when and with what the target group searches / visits it online.
• The target group must be able to share content and communicate. Communication is selling!?Recommendations are selling!
• The target group must be reached. Communicating content is completely worthless without access to the right target customers! You need a social media community that is relevant to your content. For whom your content is important.?

To make the online sales call event a great success, we designed the idea of Stream TV. Stream TV combines a live online event, a webinar and a report. The Stream TV online event does not take place in an online event software or via Zoom, MS Teams, WebEx, etc., but uses social media as a broadcasting space. Specifically, these are: YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Twitch.?

MICEboard Stream TV uses these channels simultaneously and live for the online events. The participants can choose in which network they participate. With the live chat on all channels, they can interact and participate, e.g. to contribute to the online live event with specific questions. After the online live event, it is available on demand on all platforms. This generates very high reach.

The advantages:

• No registration or login required. Users participate in the online event via a network of their choice. And all with just one click!
• Participants can invite their own communities to the online event. They can share it during the event on their own social networks.
• Great interaction with the participants via chat and comment function in all channels. All live chats come together in our control room. No matter in which network a participant uses the chat, e.g. to ask a question, we monitor it.
• Convenient on-demand viewing on Twitter, Twitch, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram - and of course on MICEboard.com.
• The online event content is openly available - and thus can also be found by search engines when event planners search.
• Generating online leads and direct leads (attendees who participated in the online event live). Numerous online leads are generated in the weeks and months, or even years, after the live broadcast. Because everything stays online!
• Authentic information transfer that is tailored to the wishes and needs of the target group.
• The Stream TV online events can be watched on all internet-enabled devices: Computer, laptop, tablet PC, smartphone, smart TV, or on the fitness device with monitor and internet connection.
• The technical implementation is very simple, the supplier only requires a smartphone for the production and implementation of a stream TV live online event.

What are your experiences as a supplier with online events? How do you do them and how successful are you?

#SupplierPost(s) ??

This newsletter is aimed at suppliers from the MICE industry. It aims to stimulate, criticize and confront. It does not want to embarrass anyone, but to encourage out-of-the-box thinking. To have the courage to critically question the existing and to question methods of MICE marketing and sales.

It is not about right or wrong. It's about securing the future of an industry. If you are a MICE supplier, we would be very happy to hear your opinion on the topics.

The newsletter is published every 14 days and aims to stimulate thought with an article. Thank you for your time, we wish you a successful week!