Trade shows have often been the preferred solution for companies to present their new products and get contacts, both from other companies and individuals. For several years, the rise of online sales has encouraged the digitalization of trade shows in the form of marketplaces, which are like the digital version of physical trade shows. The online trade show has definite advantages for brands, offering increased visibility for their various products and services.

The marketplace has the advantage of not being limited in time, unlike traditional trade shows, and allows easy access to files presenting a company's products in several countries. A marketplace can be set up between two sessions of a physical trade show, or as a replacement for a professional event that cannot be held for various reasons.

On a B2B marketplace, a professional stand is a turnkey solution that displays the products marketed by a company. The online experience replaces physical trade show stands, and the visitors are Internet users interested in the products for sale that could become prospects. An online stand is a personalized space that can showcase all of a company's products, with a set of services that make it easy to get started.

In concrete terms, having a space on a marketplace is very advantageous for a company. First of all, it saves a lot of time by allowing a simplification of daily management operations. It is also a way to improve profitability with services recognized for their efficiency such as payment options and volume pricing. As a trusted third party, using the platform ensures reduced risk with 100% secure transactions.

Bringing together exhibiting service providers and visitors, a trade show can be defined as an event dedicated to a sector of activity or a type of service. It is divided into two parts, on one side professional stands and on the other conferences. The duration of the event is a set period of time and the company occupying a stand is invoiced according to the surface of the occupied stand. As an essential image tool, it allows companies to generate leads and strengthen customer relationships.

The marketplace can be seen as a transposition of this principle in the digital sphere. It is a digital marketing method, just like webinars, white papers and inbound marketing, used by companies to gain visibility and find prospects. A B2B marketplace, which can be general or thematic, promotes the connection between manufacturers and distributors. It reproduces the model of the B2C marketplace, which is extremely popular with giants like Amazon, for businesses.

The virtual declination of a trade show can be done easily through a trusted third party. A company can join an online platform and open its own space on a marketplace, where its digital catalog will be available to all visitors who can also place orders. For companies, such a platform is the digital equivalent of a year-round trade show, giving access to all products marketed to customers located on any continent.

Today, trade shows are no longer the only option for companies. Specialists such as VirtualExpo Group have set up B2B marketplaces that bring together millions of buyers, manufacturers and distributors online. Companies can present and sell their products on a centralized platform that's optimized for search engines and easily accessible to Internet users around the world.

The creation of a professional stand, via a personal online account, requires no prior knowledge on the part of companies. It is a turnkey solution that allows companies to integrate the marketplace they have chosen according for their sector of activity at any time. Full support, with experts in SEO and marketing, is possible in order to enrich this space with product sheets and content available for free download.

To understand the usefulness of an online stand in relation to a trade show, we can take the example of the French company Fermob. Based in the Ain region, this furniture manufacturer has a stand on ArchiExpo, the architecture and design marketplace developed by VirtualExpo. On the platform, its catalog is highlighted through a list of new products visible on the homepage, e-magazines and buying guides.

Fermob also has its own personalized space. It includes the company logo, a link to its website and product sheets classified by category. Large photos and detailed descriptions accompany each one. There is a tab to the brand's catalogs (available in PDF in several languages) and another one leading to the company's new products and best sellers. The intuitive interface is clear and easy to navigate, with content that is immediately accessible to customers around the world.