66 exhibitors used the virtual trade fair from WEKA to showcase their presence on the market, generate leads and make interactive contact with customers in the four themed areas of INDUSTRIAL production + handling, material flow world + conference, Computer&AUTOMATION world & conference and KUNSTSTOFFMAGAZIN world & conference despite the coronavirus pandemic. The virtual concept scored points in several ways: exhibitors reached their target audience in a manageable amount of time and without any stand fees, stand construction or travel costs.

Trade visitors were able to register free of charge and take a tour of four virtual exhibition halls at the click of a mouse. Product information, videos and virtual contacts awaited visitors at the exhibition stands. The interaction between visitors and the exhibitors' product experts, who were present via live chat, demonstrated the potential of the new trade fair format. In addition, experts from the field provided information on trends, application examples and new products in web seminars on the virtual conference stage. Visitor interest was also high here: around 2,400 conference participants followed the 44 web seminars.

Five specialist media from the WEKA BUSINESS MEDIEN and WEKA FACHMEDIEN publishing houses joined forces for the virtual trade fair: the teams from Computer&AUTOMATION, handling, KUNSTSTOFF MAGAZIN, materialfluss and SCOPE drew attention to the exhibitors' topics and speakers and reported in the print editions as well as online on the websites and in the newsletters before, during and after the trade fair. A particular focus was on the media's activities on the social media channels of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and XING. In the coming weeks, the trade fair organizers will conclude the premiere with a detailed exhibitor and visitor survey in order to further expand the content of the new virtual format.

"The premiere of the WEKA Virtual Show shows the potential of the new communication platform. We are delighted with the great interest shown by trade visitors and exhibiting companies, who found each other and networked on the communication platform. Special thanks go to our exhibiting partners and the numerous experts who gave presentations, as well as the visitors. A repeat edition is firmly planned," commented Peter Eberhard, Publishing Director of WEKA BUSINESS MEDIEN GmbH, Computer&AUTOMATION WEKA FACHMEDIEN GmbH. as