Summit of the Americas: Review
Going virtual at the Summit of the Americas
We review the Summit of the Americas – A Virtual Experience, a concept that delivered an opportunity for digital engagement and education at the annual regional industry show. We present highlights in words, images and video.
Welcome to this detailed review of the Summit of the Americas – A Virtual Experience, an event co-organised by ASUTIL, IAADFS and The Moodie Davitt Report in association with Stand & Experience Partner FILTR.QINGWA. When ASUTIL and IAADFS were planning to host their annual gathering in the Americas – usually held in late March or early April – it was clear by September 2020 that a physical event would be impossible, even seven months out. They moved quickly – following talks with The Moodie Davitt Report – to ensure they could bring the industry together and support its recovery in the only viable way – virtually. Against the backdrop of an industry in deep crisis, securing commitments from exhibiting and sponsoring partners was difficult, so it is only right that we salute those that backed their faith in the sector with investment and joined us on this digital journey. Retailers across the Americas also supported the event via their management and buying teams. That support helped us to deliver what we believe was an engaging, user-friendly, and cost-efficient event. We took lessons from last year’s Virtual Travel Retail Expo and put them into practice via our platform: video chat for example was a new and popular function that helped personalise the experience for users.
The numbers tell a positive story about the levels of engagement in the Exhibition Hub and of the attractiveness of the Knowledge Hub programme – with a diverse and powerful speaker line-up across channels and geographies. Importantly too, all exhibitor stands remain open and active for a 30-day ‘encore’ and are still available online 24 hours per day until 9 May. During this period, delegates to the event can access material and downloads and exhibitors will continue to receive visitor analytics. In the pages ahead, we bring you details of the experience during show week, led by video highlights from the Knowledge Hub and a snapshot of activity from the Exhibition Hub and Engagement Lounge.
Digital dashboard
We bring you key event metrics via our digital dashboard, which outlines the participation figures at Summit of the Americas*:
- 2,707 live visits across the 5 days
- 660 unique visitors
- 10,155 stand views
- 4,116 Exhibition Hub visits
- 21 Knowledge Hub sessions with 2,296 views
*Note: The 30-day, post-event ‘encore’ will see these figures grow through to 9 May.
SUMMARY
Somrus Coffee ambassadors the Sadekar Sisters were a big hit with guests between session during the Knowledge Hub sessions
*Registered delegates can continue to visit the Summit of the Americas, download digital assets from exhibitors and view the Knowledge Hub and Engagement Lounge sessions in the post-event ‘encore’ period that continues until 9 May, through this link.
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The Moodie Davitt eZine Issue 294 | 28 April 2021
The Moodie Davitt eZine is published 15 times per year by The Moodie Davitt Report (Moodie International Ltd). © All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the Publisher. To find out more visit www.moodiedavittreport.com and to subscribe, please e-mail sinead@moodiedavittreport.com