For the Australian automotive aftermarket sector, trade fairs have always been key for brands to connect with customers. When the pandemic curtailed physical events, it was an ideal moment to explore digital solutions that could broaden attendance.
GUD Holdings Limited owns around 20 leading brands specialising in the marketing, manufacturing and distribution of automotive aftersales market products. Pico helped them to create an innovative virtual platform for automotive specialists to connect and interact with customers, partners and experts.
Held in July and November 2020, Cars in the Cloud was the ANZ region’s first-ever immersive online trade show. Pico’s services to GUD Holdings Limited included creative ideas, layout plans, overall 3D design implementation, UX consultation, advice on connectivity interfaces, and event management. The team also managed client content, arranged the keynote livestream and developed visitor engagement tactics.
In a 3D environment that reproduced the interactivity of real events, visitors were able to engage with inspiring brand content and stop by a ‘virtual café’ to chat. The platform offered brands their own bays with live video and chat functions to allow visitors to have one-to-one chats with brand representatives and watch expert video presentations.
In the conference space, visitors could watch keynote speeches by industry thought leaders and training providers. Once again, visitors could use the live Q&A function to interact with presenters and ask questions. The event also created opportunities for sponsors to have a major presence and to share their insights of the automotive industry.
Tech Talks were interactive live sessions led by experts from leading brands with the aim of showcasing new products and building direct relationships with visitors. As a tool, Tech Talks facilitated live and automated content, registration, live video and text chat, all within a branded environment.
Gamification was a further popular feature, encouraging visitors to explore brand garages and their content. Visitors could accumulate points by engaging with brand content and finding hidden ‘easter eggs’ in the virtual space. The points tallied up to win prizes, with a live leaderboard display showing the results.