Thursday, November 26, 2020
The interzum team has a clear goal: to create tomorrow’s living spaces together at interzum from May 4 to 7, 2021. The challenge facing them is the dynamic development of the coronavirus pandemic and its repercussions for market participants. Their response to it is equally clear: This leading trade fair for furniture production and interior construction will develop spaces for the future – on-site and online. The future is hybrid.
The preparations for interzum 2021 are entering the next phase right on schedule. Even though the total registrations for interzum are on target, for the interzum team, it is currently a case of continuing to rigorously refine the event’s concept while responding agilely and dynamically to both positive and negative changes. “We are constantly facing new challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,” says Matthias Pollmann, Vice President Trade Fair Management at Koelnmesse. He adds, “…we can already say that the look and feel of the next edition of the trade fair will be very different from the last interzum – we have to be honest about that…”
The strategic focus of interzum@home is on increasing digital reach. Digital components are the logical extension of the physical showcase in the trade fair halls. “This will enable our trade fairs to extend their reach beyond in-person attendees and make contact with a global audience. Broadly speaking, knowledge and content are the focus online, while experience and the social aspect are the priorities at the venue in Cologne, but the boundaries and links between them are naturally always fluid. And networking is the connecting element between offline and online,” says Maik Fischer, Director of interzum, outlining the event’s concept. With this expansion of interzum into the digital sphere, Koelnmesse is very much on trend. A significant 82 per cent of exhibitors expect to see a push towards hybrid trade fairs and digital elements according to the Global Exhibition Barometer, published by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.
As digital exhibitors, interzum@home participants will have the opportunity to showcase their products with visual and textual information in their exclusive showrooms and to raise their company’s profile further, for instance by embedding video content. interzum@home offers diverse options for selecting new and existing contacts, connecting with them and thereby developing new target groups. The new Discovery Graph is an opportunity for users to network in the true sense of the term: The tool visualises all the participants and their connections to each other, enabling users to establish connections with interesting contacts with a targeted approach. In addition, various filters can be used to find relevant contacts among both visitors and exhibitors. Focused chats and specific appointment and contact enquiries are a means for users to hold one-on-one conversations or to invite selected groups to exchange ideas. To complement direct communication with visitors, interzum@home offers exhibitors a unique approach for generating leads: They can select specific visitor data in their exhibitor profile. The exhibitor’s sales team, for instance, can then approach all the visitors that have viewed the company’s profile on interzum@home. With these possibilities, networking is easier than ever before, and its reach unparalleled.
Hybrid events will stream the action at the trade fair venue around the world in online-friendly formats, enriching the industry event with additional digital offerings and extended availability online.
Tags: coronavirus, furniture production, hybrid event, Interzum, interzum@home, Koelnmesse, Matthias Pollmann, trade fair
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