Trade fairs and congresses belong to the most important B2B channels for EUROIMMUN and provide ideal opportunities for an exchange with key opinion leaders. Usually, these events took place face-to-face and provided a nice opportunity for meeting existing and new customers, introducing new products to a large audience or discovering new trends.
EUROIMMUN booth at Medlab, Dubai, in February 2020
But suddenly, everything is different:
The contact and travel restrictions which have been in place since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the trade fair industry hard. Almost all events were cancelled in the hope for them to take place at a later time point, but in the same way as before. Booth constructors, suppliers and transport companies, hotels, gastronomy and providers of other services associated with trade fairs, e.g. interpreters or hostesses – they all were affected by the cancellation of events. At EUROIMMUN, the 2020 pandemic has led to a cancellation rate of 85% of the planned events.
New and feasible ideas for alternative event forms came up when it became obvious that the pandemic was going to last longer. One possible solution is a hybrid fair, which aims to provide companies and science a platform for exchange of ideas in these special times. This solution includes a booth at the fair as well as virtual elements such as live streams, webinars and digital information material or discussion rounds via chat. Even though such virtual fairs have existed for a long time, on-site events were the first choice, especially in the medical and science sector, to provide information and exchange. These days, the number of attendants is strictly regulated by safety and hygiene measures. Only a small number of persons may attend the fair in person, using face masks and observing the social distancing rules. Strict safety regulations and special construction requirements apply to the booths.
EUROIMMUN’s Events team must also meet this challenge. It is their responsibility that EUROIMMUN can present itself in the best light, at a certain location, at a certain time.
Tasks of the Events team: From the decision of participation to follow-up.
The team coordinates the development of all booth concepts, makes sure that the most important marketing topics are optically highlighted and ensures that all trade fair equipment gets there on time (and gets back safe and sound). Even under normal conditions, this is not an easy job, given the large number of events EUROIMMUN participates in every year.
Now, the colleagues are facing the difficult task of making the most out of the new virtual options and keeping up with the strict regulations for on-site attendance – yet another thing to keep in mind in their extensive planning.
When the events were cancelled, their usual workflow came to a halt, and the team helped out in other departments. Now, however, the concepts for the first upcoming events must be thoroughly thought over and (re-)planned. The conception of adequate solutions for virtual trade fairs is a great challenge which the Events team is currently tackling with a lot of effort and creativity.
The industry is slowly getting going again and the Events team is again really busy. The upcoming events will show whether the new concepts deliver in practice.
Please find here an overview of the upcoming events.
