Community business models for event organizers

At adventics, we are convinced that as a trade fair company and organizer, you should give your own participants the opportunity to create a digital community – because if you don’t do it yourself, it’s highly likely that someone else will. And it could be even worse: someone else will earn money from it.


In our view, community business models are one of the most important levers for additional revenue for trade fair companies and organizers. We have explained here why community activities are important in general. This article is about how organizers can earn money by implementing community approaches. We show this using various examples.

Example: Texpertise (Messe Frankfurt)

Messe Frankfurt’s “Texpertise Network” aims to bring the textile industry together. According to its own statements, the network connects “more than 500,000 industry participants from all over the world”. Current topics from the textile industry are presented on the Texpertise website, as well as trends, market analyses and events.

What we like: The Texpertise network website presents a wide range of content relating to the textile industry in an appealing way. As a registered user, you have the option of influencing the selection of content based on self-defined interests. The content on the website changes accordingly. This advantage and added value is communicated to non-registered users in several places on the website in order to motivate them to register.

Source: www.texpertisenetwork.messefrankfurt.com (as at 18.12.24)

Exhibitors or companies wishing to present themselves in the Texpertise network have the option of publishing their own advertorials and white papers or being listed in a directory of suppliers and service providers.

The Texpertise network also does a good job of integrating external content on its own website. Specifically, a news feed is displayed in the so-called textile news, which mainly contains content from other websites. This is a clever approach to constantly provide users with new content without a great deal of effort.


Example: Art Basel (Messe Basel)

Content is also a good keyword for Art Basel, where Messe Basel and the MCH Group bring the international art world together – now also in Miami, Hong Kong and Paris. The organizer also succeeds in providing the art community with relevant and appropriate content on the website and in the Art Basel app.

What we like about it: in addition to a wealth of content about art and artists, the Art Basel website also features a report on the art market. Among other things, the report analyzes the spending habits of collectors – important information for Art Basel’s target groups.

Source: www.theartmarket.artbasel.com (as at 18.12.24)

Providing your own community with such reports and studies, ideally behind a login, is definitely a way of dealing with “exclusive content”. In the case of Art Basel, the Swiss bank UBS acts as sponsor and “Global Lead Partner”, i.e. here, too, community activities are monetized outside of the traditional event business.


Example: ISPO (Munich Trade Fair)

For over 50 years, ISPO has been the global ecosystem for trends, innovations and business in sport and everything related to it. The ISPO Collaborators Club is the associated digital platform that brings together sports enthusiasts and brands from the industry. The aim is to develop, test and improve new, pioneering products together. Members of the club also benefit from community events and exclusive discounts.

What we like about it is that exhibitors and companies are given the opportunity to get in direct contact with sports-loving consumers. This access is expressed, for example, when a company wants to receive feedback from the community. The company sends a survey to the community via the ISPO Collaborators Club in the form of a mailing. Those who take part can win various prizes. Companies are prepared to pay for this access to a community of sports-loving consumers.

Source: www.ispo.com/collaborators-club (as at 18.12.24)

Conclusion

The examples show that event organizers can generate additional revenue by implementing community activities. Two important factors are always: understanding the needs of the target group(s) and relevant content for them. So which target groups do you want to address as an event organizer? Which types of content should be the focus and how can these be marketed as part of sponsorship or media packages? We will be happy to support you in developing – and implementing – the right strategy for community, content and monetization.

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