The Halloween & Party Expo Virtual Experience 2021 helped suppliers and retailers come together from across the Halloween, party, celebration and haunt industries, with 34% of those attending doing so for the first time.
The three-day digital event took place from 19 – 21 January 2021, with an interactive, online platform delivering key aspects of the show experience in order to foster new business opportunities and connect exhibitors and visitors from the comfort and safety of their own homes, stores or offices.
Thanks to the digital nature of this year’s event, the lack of travel costs and constraints saw the show welcoming 34% of new buyers in 2021, as retailers from across the world logged in to discover new products, place orders, attend live product demonstrations, network and attend retail education webinars.
“While the Halloween & Party Expo Virtual Experience does not replace connecting face-to-face at our live event, we think this robust alternative was the best way to pivot to guarantee the health and safety of the industry and cope with ongoing and changing local regulations and travel constraints,” commented show director, Marni Golden Vinci.
“We would like to thank all of our exhibitors, partners, retailers and sponsors for a great Virtual Experience. It was incredible to hear many of the great connections and success stories that were made during the event.”
The event platform used advanced algorithms and matching software to provide 53,500 recommendations to connect buyers and exhibitors based on their profiles. This led to 15,000 new leads, 4,500 connections between buyers and exhibitors and more than 1,000 one-to-one meetings taking place during the three-day period.
A full schedule of content included 15+ live product demonstrations, which saw hundreds of attendees watching exhibitors showcase their best-sellers, trending or new products and answer questions live.
“The elope sales team was impressed with our HPE virtual show experience,” said Kelli Borel Riedmiller, elope’s chief sales optimiser. “HPE is our biggest show of the year and once we got the hang of it, it was very user-friendly. I really liked how you could see the buyers’ interest and monitor their activity. We were able to generate new leads and meet with many of our existing customers and of course the HPE team provided excellent support throughout the entire process.”
Michele Buggy, executive director at the Halloween & Costume Association also commented on the show’s success, saying: “The Halloween & Costume Association knows how important it is to the industry to connect, drive business and create connections. The Virtual Experience was developed to support the industry and host the safest and best possible experience. We are looking forward to continuing to promote the celebration of Halloween throughout the year and to reunite in person for the 2022 Halloween & Party Expo.”
The dates for the Halloween & Party Expo 2022 will be announced in the coming weeks. Visit halloweenpartyexpo.com to find out more.
