The COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for innovation across all industries worldwide. However, in many cases, this innovation was sorely needed long before the advent of the pandemic, and the trade exhibitions industry was no exception.
Traditional in-person trade exhibitions have historically been expensive, effectively restricting participation by smaller businesses and start-ups. Additionally, African B2B marketers are demonstrably underserved and see little value in advertising in B2B marketing initiatives that offer no quantifiable ROI. Virtual event licensing from virtual event owner providers is also expensive, and these costs are then passed on to virtual exhibitors.
This was the catalyst that inspired John Thompson, Titus Baloyi, and me (Stephen Oehley) to create Xtendevent.com, with a vision to establish our virtual event platform as the leading one-stop destination in Africa for trade buyers to attend conferences, network, and engage with brands and suppliers, as well as manufacturers, brand managers, and trade marketing and sales professionals.
We consider Africa the ideal region to launch our platform, not only due to the lack of service and disparate silos within the B2B sector across Africa but also due to the sharp increase in digitally focused innovators, evidenced by the increasing number of incubators and the rise in investment interest in African start-ups.
Xtendevent is a virtual trade show platform that delivers custom environments for organizers of virtual/hybrid conferences and exhibitions, their speakers, exhibitors, visitors, and conference attendees. Xtendevent now serves as a portal to our own industry-focused virtual trade shows and attendant conferences. Open 24/7, 365 days a year, these virtual B2B environments enable the B2B professional to join industry-specific shows of interest, attend conferences, source products, submit and manage product-specific RFQs, video call exhibitors, network with like-minded individuals and communities, and share the journey into the future of the industry sector.
In comparison to other B2B media and portals, Xtendevent visitors can use a single login to attend any sector-specific show, and consensual and detailed buyer leads are tracked and made available to exhibitors. In addition, Xtendevent is not constrained by third-party virtual platform provider license fees or extended event durations that increase license fees. As a result, we offer remarkably competitive virtual exhibitor pricing.
We consider ourselves both innovators and innovation enablers. We have identified the platform’s unique niche within the market since there are no other cohesive platforms for B2B continuity across the African continent, making the platform itself an innovation. The platform also functions as an innovation enabler by merit of its affordability, giving small businesses and start-ups equal opportunity alongside seasoned brand managers from established companies to promote their companies and bring their innovations into relevant markets.
To date, Xtendevent is a finalist in Demo Africa, Step Up Technology, and Hack Jozi competitions, and we owe this to our talented team members and visionaries who helped make this dream a reality. Our sales director, Nicholas Oehley, is particularly instrumental to our success, contributing his global management learning and skills and proven track record as an exceptional sales performer.
Looking forward, we are pleased to say that we will be able to partner with businesses across African countries in the foreseeable future and make use of AI to personalize user experiences. We believe that the next innovation that will change this industry will be Artificial Intelligence. AI will enable the prediction of virtual attendee behavior to create personalized virtual experiences. Customer-centric experiences will create a deeper connection with brands and result in a richer, more memorable experience for the prospect, perhaps even shortening the sales cycle.
We are especially excited that this is an affordable opportunity for start-ups across various industries and that we will be enabling the next generation of innovators to share their greatness with the world.
