Quarantine Tales: Day 4

I’m wondering if I can find some clever soul to work up a nifty algorithm that will determine whether the benefits of attending MINEXPO 2021 outweigh the drawbacks of spending 14 days in quarantine. Four days in, my own personal algorithm is telling me that the answer is yes, but who knows what it will say when I approach double figures. This is a marathon not a sprint.

I do suspect, however, that the answer will remain the same — not least because I had an absolute blast at the event. Even though I’ve never been particularly interested in cars, the massive machines that Caterpillar, Komatsu, and other top industry squeezed into the convention made me feel like an excited schoolboy again. With their smart engineering, advanced materials, and ingenious designs, they are the true marvels of the modern age and represent the boundless inventiveness and optimism of the human spirit. Without their (often maligned) contribution, society would soon grind to a halt from a shortage of the energy and raw materials required to power our industries, vehicles, and homes.

Rhapsodic waxing aside, it was a great pleasure simply to talk to people at the VIA booth and around the convention center. For all the hype about virtual events, nothing beats holding a face to face (or at least mask to mask) conversation with a potential customer combined with a live product demo. You can learn more about their needs and concerns in five minutes than hours of Zoom calls — not to mention create an instant rapport.

I’m not saying that traditional tradeshows are on the verge of a major comeback, but as travel gradual opens up I’m sure that they will continue to play a critical role in the marketing mix. Despite widespread reports of Zoom fatigue, online conferences, seminars, and other virtual events are also set to increase in importance because of their lower cost and greater convenience. Since the technology for creating and hosting such events is still in its early stages, there is plenty of scope for improving their effectiveness as a communication and marketing medium.