The old bugaboo, online credit card transactions, seems to have faded. Interactive technology has also revolutionized visit planning. Usually you see a show beginning with all these people sitting down the first morning with coffee and the show directory, plus all the substitution addenda, figuring out who's speaking where and when. Now all this goes online. It can be done ahead of time, at the attendee's convenience.
People can log on just before the show, or at it, and get the last-minute substitutions.
Once they're hooked, users can continue to consult the trade show home page long after the last crate's been packed and shipped off site. But the real benefits are in terms of integrating your information system and using that to market more effectively. Suddenly an audience of 400,000 becomes 400,000 individuals. You know who is buying what, who is loyal to whom. You know that because you know exactly what they bought yesterday and last year.