The COVID-19 pandemic has hobbled countless industries, but many have found safety and some form of normalcy from expos and conventions going virtual. Though this shift has been a long time coming, the current state mandates left expo venues no choice.

The draw of these events for many merchants is the in-person benefits, like food tasting, physical booths, and person-to-person interaction. While going virtual takes away a significant portion of these benefits, many expos have made the switch rather than let another year go by. And though these efforts have found success, will virtual restaurant expos be the new normal for restaurant owners?

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What does a virtual restaurant expo look like?

What do you see when you hear the word ‘expo’? Is it row after row of booths lined up in a local convention center? Is it a festival-style market on a closed-off street? No matter what pops into your mind, we can universally agree that everyone’s in the same space. So what exactly does a virtual expo look like?

The National Restaurant Association Show has a version and a vision. In this generally unmapped terrain, The Show on the Go took the place of their physical expo. Through a series of menu options, visitors can see which businesses are in attendance and virtually visit online stalls.

Others, such as EatDenver, saw success with webinars and ‘Ed Talks’ in their significant talk series event ‘Ed Talks 2021’. Although adapting seems to be the best bet, many, such as The Summer Fancy Food Show, have opted to reschedule for later in the year.

Do virtual restaurant expos work?

The purpose of a restaurant expo, in general, is to show off your food, restaurant technology solutions, and business to potential partners, customers, and competition. It’s a networking opportunity to launch your restaurant business into a new phase or gather ideas for advancing how you see the playing field. So does going virtual accomplish these goals?

In an interview with Exhibit City News, United Fresh President & CEO Tom Stenzel spoke frankly about his virtual live event.

“During these past few weeks, we’ve all learned something about connections...while we can’t wait to join with industry friends again in person, we’ve also realized that we’re connecting today in new ways. We’re all online, with video streaming, face-to-face chats, and group interactions that, just a month ago, we didn’t know how to do.” - Tom Stenzel, COVID-19 Industry Impact: Industry Pivots to Virtual & “New Normal,” Exhibit City News

Other venues, like The National Restaurant Association and countless others, have been able to leave their expos up online for a year-round look rather than a week-long event. Although this doesn’t generate the all-powerful FOMO, it still has been met with success.

The virtual venues save flight costs, hotel fees, and other costly travel expenses for business owners who want to see new restaurant technologies but don’t have the budget for a three or more day trip. Chad Chappell, EVP of Business Development for the American Restaurant & Food Service Expo, says spaces are in high demand for these virtual events.

“We just launched last week...and we’ve already sold booths and one of our three lead sponsorships. I’m an optimistic sales guy and that even surprised me. We have a limit of 750 booths we can sell and we expect to sell them all.” -Chad Chappell, American Restaurant & Food Service Expo Unveils Virtual Restaurant Trade Show for 2021, QSR Magazine.

Are virtual restaurant expos here to stay?

Although the future of physical events seems to be growing brighter with each passing day, virtual expos are slowly taking their place on a business owner’s calendar. The physical expos can never be entirely replaced; they’re an industry standard that’s been perfected and honed by years of hard work and dedication.

However, virtual restaurant expos shouldn’t be counted out. With a lower cost to produce and a wider audience, this trend is well on its way to moving past its 2021 infancy stage. As time goes by, we predict that these online events will become more and more common, acting as supplements to established physical expos.

After all, tech is the way of the future. Why not implement it in all parts of the industry?