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Daily Buzz: Design Strategies for Your Virtual Exhibit Hall

You can still let your sponsors shine when you move your in-person event online. Also: ideas to make your June newsletter special.

Did your conference go virtual? You can still put together an exhibit hall, which gives you a way to include your sponsors and provide an important resource center for attendees.

“Exhibit halls can be converted to an online format easily and can be just as informative for attendees,” says CommPartners’ Julie Ratcliffe. “A virtual exhibit hall is a home base for all your sponsors.”

Your virtual hall can include resources that sponsors would typically provide to attendees in person. Only this time, they’ll take the form of PDFs, links, videos, and other digital formats. Ratcliffe says going virtual doesn’t mean you lose the exhibit’s visual and branding opportunities.

“Sponsor logos can be presented in a carousel or posted in various positions around the conference site. Informational and educational posters can be displayed in each sponsor booth, or you can show them all in a collection on a separate posters page.”

Additionally, try to make your virtual exhibit hall interactive, just as it would be at an in-person conference. Implementing a chat feature, such as a discussion board or instant messenger, will allow exhibitors to speak with attendees.

“Sponsors are an important part of the vitality of your conference, and learners should engage with them,” Ratcliffe says. “Unlike at an onsite event, where exhibitors are confined to exhibit hall hours, your virtual exhibit hall will be open 24/7.”

What You Can Do With Your Newsletter This June

To make next month’s newsletter memorable, highlight the unique days and events going on in June. For example, take advantage of Best Friends Day, which takes place June 8.

“Who are your organization’s best friends? Feature your most passionate supporters and volunteers,” says Nonprofit Marketing Guide’s Kristina Leroux.

Or think of ways to incorporate Father’s Day, which takes place June 21. “Plenty of opportunities here,” Leroux says. “Who is the ‘father’ of your cause or organization? How can your supporters honor their fathers in a way that’s consistent with your cause?”

Other Links of Note

Want to improve your nonprofit website? There are a few quick and easy ways to do it, suggests a recent article from TechSoup.

If we reopen, will they come? Colleen Dilenschneider from Know Your Own Bone examines the factors influencing intentions to visit cultural organizations post-COVID-19 restrictions.

If you’re worried about your job security, do these five things, says The Next Web’s Yessi Bello Perez.

(coffeekai/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Michael Hickey

By Michael Hickey

Michael Hickey is a contributor to Associations Now. MORE

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