Ansell, a leading global Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) provider, planned to exhibit at LABORAMA 2020 - Europe’s premier event for laboratory professionals which was due to take place in Brussels, Belgium in March - were overtaken by the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
To ensure the safety of visitors and exhibitors, the physical trade show was postponed but replaced a virtual event. With new dates of June 11-12 agreed for this virtual show, there was pressure for a quick turnaround. The challenge was in taking Ansell’s stand from physical plans to an effective virtual realization in such a short time frame. LABORAMA would be Ansell’s first virtual stand in the EMEA region; while this was also a first virtual trade show brief for Mulberry.
Although there are obvious key differences between physical attendance and being part of a virtual event, a fundamental underlying thread remained constant for Ansell – and that was the importance of maintaining a presence at LABORAMA. Ansell prides itself on its sense of responsibility. Based on the position granted by its acknowledged expertise, the company is a voice for the global safety industry. This resonates in every aspect of Ansell’s core messaging as it supports and champions best practice. The key sentiment – that customers can trust and rely on Ansell to make the safest choice for everyone – is paramount.
The virtual solution enabled the company’s safety experts to successfully engage with customers to illustrate that this assertion is equally true in challenging times. With this in mind, Mulberry contributed conceptually to messaging; and with PPE product videos to reinforce the answers to customer queries in the live video chat function, while also providing information and reassurance to visitors looking at the virtual stand. These contributions were backed by a short focused social media campaign, with awareness, action and advocacy stages reduced into a two-week period organized around the strapline – Ansell Protects with the right PPE, in the right place and the right way.
Despite some technical issues with live chat which were quickly overcome, the two days of sessions exceeded expectations in terms of;
• Virtual stand visits by existing and target customers
• Certified leads to follow-up
• Requests for and downloads of gated sales material
• Volume of tracked traffic to Ansell.com site
An Ansell spokesperson summarized the positive outcomes from the event: “For a very small investment, we got a lot of exposure in return and it positioned Ansell as a reliable partner; with the social media posts helping considerably in this regard.” In financially challenging times, and against a backdrop of lockdown – with Ansell preoccupied with demand for its PPE solutions as the pandemic took hold across Europe – a virtual solution proved a safe and successful option.
For Mulberry it also illuminates the benefits of agility. As communication partners, we are flexible and able to quickly adapt our integrated strategies to respond regardless of circumstances. If you have a project, campaign, or strategy you want help or advice with, please do get in touch.