EXHIBITOR Magazine Releases Research on Marketing-Related Technology
ROCHESTER, Minn. (PRWEB) December 31, 2018 -- EXHIBITOR magazine, the award-winning leader in trade show and corporate event marketing education, has released the results of its 2018 Marketing Technology Survey, which queried exhibit and event professionals from nearly 200 companies on their experiences with and opinions of marketing-related technologies employed on the trade show floor and as part of their organizations’ corporate events.
According to this year’s survey results, 96 percent of respondents currently use technology to enhance their marketing efforts in some way, with 84 percent employing various technologies inside their trade show exhibits and 54 percent incorporating technology into their companies’ corporate events. Compared to 2016, that marks a 5 percent increase in the number of companies using technology to enhance their exhibits; whereas, event usage has only increased 3 percentage points in the past two years.
Not surprisingly, the most notable increases in exhibit- and event-related technology usage since 2016 were seen in mobile apps, smartphones, geofencing, and virtual reality — each of which experienced growth rates of 50 percent or more. Growth also was reported for microsites, tablet PCs, touchscreens, augmented reality, digital signage, and streaming video. Meanwhile, Quick Response (QR) codes, projection, and virtual events have plateaued, with usage statistically unchanged since 2016.
"Survey results signal that RFID and audience response systems are poised for significant growth," said EXHIBITOR magazine's editor Travis Stanton. "Several respondents report actively considering incorporating those technologies into their 2019 exhibits and events."
Respondents who have used various technologies in the context of their exhibit- and event-marketing efforts indicate that those technologies have led to increases in booth traffic, brand awareness, and sales leads, as well as improved relationships with clients and enhanced staffer/attendee interactions at trade shows and events. And while fewer than a quarter of exhibit managers who have used technology to enhance their trade show exhibits proactively set measurable goals to gauge the effectiveness of those applications, the vast majority (72 percent) report that the technologies they used met or exceeded initial objectives.
"It’s worth noting that a drop in tech usage occurred between 2014 and 2016, and today’s metrics have essentially rebounded to the adoption and application rates measured in 2014," said Stanton. "The data also imply companies that are incorporating marketing-related technologies are dipping their toes deeper into the techno tidal pool than they were in the past, adopting and incorporating multiple technologies, as opposed to one or two applications at a time as the data indicate they were doing back in 2010."
Full results from the 2018 Marketing Technology Survey will be published in the December issue of EXHIBITOR magazine, and the article is also available online.
About Exhibitor Media Group
The leader in trade show and corporate event marketing education, Exhibitor Media Group publishes the award-winning EXHIBITOR magazine, a monthly publication featuring best practices in trade show marketing. EXHIBITOR's learning events include: EXHIBITORLIVE, the professional development conference for trade show and corporate event marketers; EXHIBITORFastTrak accelerated learning conferences; and EXHIBITOR eTrak, professional online learning. Exhibitor Media Group is also the founder and sponsor of CTSM (Certified Trade Show Marketer), the industry's only university-affiliated professional certification program. Learn more at http://www.ExhibitorOnline.com.
Travis Stanton, Exhibitor Media Group, http://EXHIBITORonline.com, 952-393-8083, [email protected]
Share this article