Virtually there: Expotech trades convention hall for avatars

Resellers will have 86 more chances to get up close and personal with their favourite vendors next year following Ingram Micro Australia's overhaul of its Expotech trade shows and satellite conferences.

The centrepiece of the revamped partner events lineup is moving the Expotech roadshow, in its 14th year, entirely online as a virtual trade show.

Ingram Micro Australia senior director of commercial sales and marketing, John Walters (pictured last night at the launch), said the distributor had cast around internationally and to the best of his knowledge it was the first such event of its type.

"I think the traditional trade show is sliding down the back of the wave," Walters said.

"We don't want to kill Expotech, we think it's a great brand name but let's get new-age thinking and provide some thought leadership out into the channel about how we're going to take Expotech to the market over the next couple of years.

"We think it will allow the reseller community around Australia to have better interaction albeit virtual with the information they're after (than) the traditional Expotech. And we can refresh it as much as we like throughout the year."

Walters said the changes, which included adding 86 smaller, "more intimate [and] integrated" events around the nation, helped vendors and resellers budget for them in their calendars at the start of the year.

"That doesn't mean we can't do the odd ad hoc event if a market need requires but at least theyr'e solid events, they're in calendars, there should be no clashes down the track," he said.

"Delivering on that promise is a very comprehensive suite of events, which means the touch [interaction with resellers] has been increased and it will be very much more targeted around specific events that vendors and ourselves want to take to specific segments of the reseller community around their interests."

The move away from a big bang roadshow alleviated the costs to exhibitors and resellers in terms of money and time invested to attend. Walters said this money could find its way into other events that would deliver better returns on investment for all involved.

Virtual Expotech grew from an idea for automotive kiosks that Ingram Micro marketing and communications manager Linda Pifat saw while she was in charge of its point-of-sale business.

The Australian designed and developed software that emerged from a website concept with 3D avatars led Pifat and her team back to basics, she said.

"What does a trade show offer physically and how could we incorporate that into a 3D trade show?" Pifat said.

"Things like competitions, business card draws, all the show promotions and giveaways are still available so the vendor knows who came to their stands. They can send out gifts."

Pifat said social networking was built in. Resellers can go to the virtual stands to pose questions for vendor and Ingram sales and technical staffs or mix with other resellers in the lounge areas.

Conferences and web seminars were baked into the platform allowing vendors to provide virtual training and sales sessions.

It was part of a broader brief that Walters set Pifat's team to find innovative ways to stay in touch with resellers. The distributor is looking at social networking tools such as Twitter to broadcast corporate messages, as well as SMS and MMS, voice messaging and e-books, Pifat said. Version 2.0 of the virtual trade show will dovetail with Ingram's TechLink e-commerce site.

Smarter events

Ingram Micro's expanded real-world "Smart" events included Smart Reach, a national education roadshow to enable vendors to update resellers' skills over a two-day program.

Smart Updates was a one-day, twice-a-year national roadshow to update resellers on hot IT topics chosen by vendors.

Ingram Micro will also run a Smart Achievers programme, similar to its Kokoda trek earlier this year, and corporate golf days for high-level executives. And there were events for consumer electronics, education for regional resellers, demo evenings, local BBQ and film nights and fine dining packages.

And the celebrated Christmas parties were back for next year, Walters said.

An educational trip to Las Vegas was also planned, he said.