The biggest water conference of the year was coming up in Amsterdam, and Dow wanted to make a splash. Given the scale of the event, the international scope and the stakes for Dow in terms of potential sales, a business-as-usual show strategy wouldn’t do. Dow needed a bigger reach and presence at the show to attract prospects and introduce them to an integrated solution for the industrial water treatment market. Of course, this needed to be done with tight budget and timeline.
IDEA
Rather than lock themselves into a single large booth, Dow would open themselves up to a different kind of expansive show experience, one that would create multiple touchpoints and filter and funnel prospects according to where they’re at in the conversation with Dow.
IMPLEMENTATION
To present a unified message across multiple touchpoints, I developed a theme and signature graphic. The goal was to keep it simple and universal because people from all over the world attend the show.
The graphic was deployed throughout the conference space, an eye-catching element in a crowded environment.
To bring Dow’s capabilities to life, I led a team in designing interactive kiosks where visitors donned Samsung Gear headsets with Oculus VR technology to take virtual tours of an industrial plant so that they can see where and how Dow’s integrated water treatment solutions live throughout the operation.
IMPACT
The virtual tours were a hit, engaging attendees and generating interest in exploring Dow’s solutions further with by-invitation presentations at the “Dow Dome” (a centralized booth on the exhibition hall floor), one-on-one conversations and an educational program called the “Water Academy”.
