Brink Climate Systems spectacularly present at ISH 2017
The ISH in Frankfurt is the largest international trade fair in Europe, where Brink Climate Systems, producer of ventilation solutions, has been positioning itself as an internationally oriented company in the market for years. Just like their ever-growing brand awareness, the exhibition stand of Brink is getting larger every year. This year, the company went all out and called upon the help of C4Real as a specialist in visualisations.
At ISH 2017, Brink wanted to further build on brand awareness while simultaneously presenting the company as a supplier of innovative ventilation solutions.
Visualising Innovative Solutions
Adriaan Cramer, Head of Product Management & Marketing: “During this fair, we focused on total solutions rather than on the individual products or components we can supply. It was important for us to have supporting visualisations available, with which we demonstrated how innovative our solutions are.”
At that moment, help was enlisted from C4Real, with whom Brink had previously collaborated well on trade fair visualisations. Because both parties entered the initial conversation without a concrete direction, the outcome could go in any direction. It started with an idea for a kind of corporate film about Brink in general, but soon it was focused on a visual concept that needed to attract trade fair visitors to Brink's stand.
Visualisation as Part of Content Strategy
Wendy Wind, International Marketing Manager at Brink Climate Systems: “That concept became a connecting film, which was designed and executed together with C4Real. All elements we want to communicate are included, and it fits completely with the stand we had at ISH.” The lady, who represents Brink in our communications, also took on a leading role in the trade fair film. This way, it became a visualisation that goes far beyond just participating in a fair. We extended our communication line with it. It has become part of a content strategy.
Interactive Instructional Film
Visualisations have also been developed at the product level, Adriaan Cramer explains: “For the Flair, our key ventilation product for the coming years, we visualised how it works and what it can mean for people in a film. We also depicted the filtration of fine dust with ‘Pure Induct’ in this way, so that the health benefits for polluted areas are clearly conveyed through animation. Thus, we could show the benefits without presenting these products in operation. In addition, an interactive instructional film was developed for the Air 70, which we had not done before. Visitors could quickly access the section that was applicable to them. The reactions were very positive, partly because it clearly contributed to the experience of the stand.
At each product setup in the exhibition stand, there was generally a screen present to convey more information. During brainstorming with C4Real, Brink quickly realised that they wanted to make a bigger impact. This could be done, among other things, by literally using a large 103-inch screen. This was placed vertically in a prominent position, and the overarching visualisation was continuously played on it. The recognizable Brink lady ‘lured’ visitors to the stand in this way.
Close Collaboration
It was really a close collaboration between Brink and C4Real. From the first brainstorming session to asking the right questions, and from developing storyboards to filming. This resulted in visualisations that truly add value to the Brink brand.
Wendy Wind: “A lot of time was invested from both sides in creating the storyboards. This helps to better visualise what the end result should be. Because we had such a good preparation, we could also manage the tight schedule during the filming day. Many shots had to be made, which were all made twice due to the two screen formats: horizontally and vertically. Fortunately, there was a good team during the filming day that worked very professionally. For the future, there have been various learning moments, such as applying the interactive instructional film even better. Our collaboration will certainly continue, making use of each other’s values/strengths.”
A trade show as part of your strategy
Many companies use trade shows in a traditional way, paying less attention to the purpose of the trade show, why they participate, and which KPIs need to be achieved. The trade show then becomes a goal in itself. “If you integrate a trade show into your overall marketing strategy, you use the trade show as a smart tool at the right moment in the customer journey. It becomes part of the entire marketing process,” says Ton Kuper, founder and managing director of C4Real. “A trade show is successful if it is well integrated into your overall marketing strategy and sales strategy, and when it represents a valuable role in that strategy and ultimately achieves the objectives you have set.”
Define your goals
SPECIFIC TRADE SHOW OBJECTIVES PROVIDE FOCUS
Therefore, first think about the objectives: why are you attending the trade show and what are the KPIs? How many leads do you want to attract or convert into the marketing funnel? It is important to consider how to bring the target audience to your trade show booth and how to follow up on the leads that come from the trade show. For example, create trade show personas, advertise with a cool teaser as an invitation, and make sure to add a few questions in the registration form to find out what the expectations and needs of that specific person are. This way, you can respond effectively. You can personalize not only the marketing activities leading up to the trade show (tailoring to the person) but also during the visit itself. The account manager present at the trade show can prepare well for the conversation. They will know where the visitor's interests and needs lie. This significantly increases the chance that the lead will proceed to the next step of the sales funnel.
Also, think about the choice of a physical, online, or hybrid trade show. Sometimes it is simply smarter to organize an online event, as it often saves on budget planning. But that also depends on the goals you want to achieve. It is never just about a product or service. A trade show is about the solutions you offer (products and services portfolio), relationship management of existing clients, showcasing innovation power, or enhancing your branding compared to your competition.
Design and visual content
Based on the strategy, you determine the design and subsequently the necessary visual content (resources) for the trade show booth to ensure that the experience and perception during the entire customer journey align perfectly. The flow in which a visitor moves through the trade show is already a customer journey in itself. Therefore, it is essential to create multiple opportunities for people to leave their contact details or make a purchase, each with a different teaser to interest the target audience. The goal of collecting those contact details is, of course, to funnel leads into your sales and marketing automation system.”
Stimulate the visual experience of the visitor
TOOLS FOR VISUAL EXPERIENCE
Many exhibition stands seem similar at their core. This can make it difficult to distinguish yourself and capture and surprise visitors. Therefore, focus on the visual experience you want to create for the visitor: how do you capture attention and maintain it? Companies do this by organizing a spectacular show of light, image, and sound at the stand to reveal a new product launch. Innovative technological tools such as holographic, interactive touchscreens, moving screens in extraordinary shapes with spectacular animations and films, or projection mapping (projections on 3D-printed objects) are also used to showcase products or services.
Context and Recognizability
Many companies only showcase their products at a trade show: ‘This is our beautiful product and this is what it does’. However, it is often forgotten to provide some context and to take potential customers through a situation that is recognizable to them, where the product or service presents the perfect solution. Some of these products are not visible to the eye or are too large to bring to the trade show, such as machines. It could also be about services or technological solutions that cannot be demonstrated at the trade show. How then should you show what you are solving?
A virtual showroom
Our Virtual Showroom works very well for this purpose. The potential customer virtually steps into a world where products and services are placed in a market context, making it clear what solution it offers. Augmented Reality (AR) innovatively shows products in reality, meaning you don’t need to haul all your products – such as large, heavy machines – or other valuable items to the fair or to a client. The product is displayed with AR as a visual layer over the real world. This is also used by IKEA, for example, to see how furniture will look in your home.
Need help in creating visual impact or a distinctive trade show strategy?
C4Real is always full of creative ideas and strategic knowledge. We have been creating impressive visual experiences for years. In addition to providing visual content, we also think about the entire marketing strategy and which content is needed where.
We are happy to be your sparring partner for concept development, designing and producing visual and virtual content, interactive events, and a complete marketing strategy. Are you ready to see your most fantastic trade show booth ever?