From traditional to digital with NürnbergMesse

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Starting point

Major events are complex products. A large number of participants are required for a smooth and successful process. NürnbergMesse has 50 years of experience in organising market-leading expert and visitor events and at the same time sees potential for new sales methods and service offerings. Together with Etribes, NürnbergMesse is working as part of a multi-stage initiative to combine knowledge from many years of trade fair and event business with Etribes' many years of e-commerce experience and thus transport the organization of professional specialist events into new, digital worlds. In this way, the company will continue to meet changing customer expectations in the future.

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Approach

Real transformation happens away from slick consulting slides

1. 1

   Vision & Strategy

   The initiative, which is planned for several years, starts with the identification and formulation of a clear vision. This requires detailed analyses that identify the initial state and the current challenges.
   Findings from pandemic years, in which digital replacement formats had to be set up without further ado, have also prompted the trade fair industry to rethink.

   Based on the identified key points, necessary skills and business potential, a vision is formulated that serves as the basis for a structured implementation of the central core, the holistic, digital e-commerce platform.

2. 2

   Planning & architecture

   From cleaning services to rental furniture to high-performance electrical connections. Trade fair products are diverse and have wider requirements for technical systems than specialized product portfolios. Based on these individual requirements, Etribes experts work directly with exhibition professionals from NürnbergMesse on the planning and implementation of the new system landscape.
   As part of a best-of-breed overall concept, requirements for individual system components of the target architecture are identified and, as part of structured selection processes, the ideal market solutions are identified or systems for in-house development are identified, and existing system components are identified, which will continue to be integrated.

3. 3

   Implementation & experience

   In a multidisciplinary team of trade fair specialists and e-commerce experts, the so-called Experience & Learning Team (ELT) is jointly developing work packages that make it possible to gradually get closer to the vision. With the help of established, agile working methods, hypotheses are developed, and implementation concepts are developed and implemented. After implementation, the solutions are validated beyond the limits of ELT.
   Step by step, further areas of NürnbergMesse will be integrated into the initiative and thus, in the future, the entire organization will be integrated into the holistic transformation project.

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Result

Outlook

Transforming a business model that relies heavily on personal contact, such as organizing and running a complex major event, into a digital business does not happen overnight. The necessary changes go beyond introducing new technical tools. They start with insight and a clear vision of the goals to be achieved. Etribes works with NürnbergMesse to define the vision and implement it. The Experience & Learning Team brings new impetus into existing structures and, together with all areas of the company, works purposefully toward the timely realization of the vision for Trade Fair Business 2.0.