After the corona pandemic forced Medientage GmbH to hold a fully digital trade fair last year, the 35th Medientage Munich could take place in a hybrid form this year. From 25 October to 29 October 2021, visitors had the opportunity to take part in the trade fair both on site at the Isarforum Munich and online on the online portal developed by Fabrik19. This year’s Medientage had the slogan “New Perspectives”. This is due to the fact that we have all been forced to rethink since the beginning of the pandemic.
The challenge for Fabrik19 was implementing a hybrid concept for the first time. This means that both a digital and a physical trade fair had to be organized. Additionally, these two had to be coordinated in a way that no information is lost, and all events work concurrently. Last year, Fabrik19 developed the digital platform “Medientage digital” in cooperation with Medientage München within a short period of time. This platform has now been optimized and adapted for this year’s fair. The preparatory work last year made it possible to implement the users’ needs and add new functions. Also, employees from Fabrik19 made sure that physical components of the fair were transferred to the online portal fluently. Thanks to close coordination with the support, it was also possible to ensure the support staff was able to resolve most of the technical queries themselves.
Diverse interactive trade fair portal with numerous new functions
Visitors were able to exchange ideas with one another in person or online via the digital platform, explore the expo, or take part in various program items. A revised networking area adapted to the hybrid format enabled a better exchange among visitors. Plus, a picture-in-picture mode for conference streams was added. This allowed participants to move freely on the platform during a stream. Moreover, a subtitled live stream was offered for the first time that aimed at increased accessibility.
The onboarding process for ticket holders connected to Xing Events was a particular challenge. Furthermore, the admin dashboard for the help desk was revised, making it easier to manage tickets and visitor accounts. Internal management for exhibitors was also simplified and optimized. Additionally, the platform was given a new, more modern overall design. Apart from this, the book area was introduced as a completely new part of the trade fair portal. For instance, it includes book talks, book presentations and must reads. Besides that, podcast avenue was updated with new content for this year’s fair.
Extended access to digital contend and a look ahead to the next fair
Like last year, all trade fair visitors have access to on demand videos on the digital platform for four weeks after the end of the fair. This includes live streams, masterclasses, book talks and other online formats. This way, program items that took place at the same time can be explored retroactively. Because of the positive feedback on the hybrid format and the generally increasing acceptance towards digital content, it can be assumed that hybrid concepts could become an integral part of trade fairs and other events in the future. Our aim for the next Medientage München is to standardize this hybrid concept, to further work on the optimization of the trade fair platform and to continue supporting the Medientage GmbH as a technology partner.
