MILAN, Italy, 30 November 2020: Reed Exhibitions, the organisers of Mostra Convegno Expocomfort, have announced the launch of MCE LIVE+DIGITAL, which combines a “live” in-person event with a “virtual” online component. The event is scheduled to take place from April 8 to 9, 2021, at MICO, Fiera Milano Convention Centre, Reed Exhibitions said. The online component will extend till April 16, allowing exhibitors to harvest business contacts for an extended period, Reed Exhibitions added.

The physical experience will be supported by an online platform for new integrated ways of meeting, Reed Exhibitions said, adding that the online component will add value through providing better connections and creating a seamless event experience for visitors and exhibitors.

MCE LIVE+DIGITAL will feature a unique digital platform, which Reed Exhibitions said is intuitive and straightforward, and is based on Al technology that perfectly matches the new needs of the trade fair business and events.

“MCE LIVE+DIGITAL will blur the lines between the digital and the physical,” said Massimiliano Pierini, Managing Director, di Reed Exhibitions Italia. “We have chosen this type of format to continue offering business opportunities to our entire value chain, the manufacturing and distribution industries and, of course, to a variety of qualified professionals who need to meet, confront and interact, even more in this new normality.” He added that the digital component of the hybrid format has a crucial role in integrating and increasing meeting in person, which remains and will always remain irreplaceable. Socialisation, he said, is intrinsic to human nature. Pierini said that digital services will also accompany the event in the future. “For this reason, we have devised an appropriate support model for our exhibitors to explain different ways of communication available, so that they can be well prepared for the show and take advantage of this opportunity, which I hope will give a new impulse to the whole sector,” he added.

According to Reed Exhibitions, the format will present multiple participation options that provide a wide selection to exhibiting companies. These include physical booths, with size options and turnkey set up, or raw spaces or digital visibility opportunities, or only virtual participation, in particular for foreign companies that will be unable to attend.

The virtual suite, MCE LIVE+DIGITAL will feature a vast array of visibility and networking tools, including company profile, photo and video galleries of products, recommendations, matchmaking functionalities, chat forums and lead generation, Reed Exhibitions said.

These features, Reed Exhibitions said, will be extremely effective, thanks to the potential of artificial intelligence, which is capable of analysing behavioural data of exhibitors and visitors and allowing further business meetings. Moreover, Reed Exhibitions said, exhibitors will benefit from real-time data checks, highlighting team activities and return on investment.

Industry professionals will have free access to the event, Reed Exhibitions said, adding that the virtual platform will offer professionals a wide range of services, from meeting companies attending the event to registration to business Webinar, conferences and seminars on-site – organised in collaboration with the leading trade associations that have always been partners of MCE.

MCE LIVE+DIGITAL, Reed Exhibitions said, will link to MCE – MOSTRA CONVEGNO EXPOCOMFORT, rescheduled to take place from March 8 to 11, 2022, with the aim of accelerating business opportunities for all industries in the reference sectors.