Many business sectors have to look for new approaches and ways of communicating with customers during pandemic. Exhibition business is one of the most affected segments. For the agro-industrial complex, exhibitions have always been an effective tool for finding partners and presenting their products. Vadim Korzhov, Executive Director of ROTEX LLC, talks in more detail about the functionality and prospects Russian agricultural online platform “Golden Autumn”, with which you can promote your products and exchange contacts even under quarantine conditions.
- Development of an online platform is a time consuming and not fast process. How did you manage to launch it in a short time under quarantine conditions? What prerequisites were there before?
- That’s true, the development of such a platform takes a long time. The fact is that we began to develop this platform 10 years ago and then tried to introduce online exhibitions on the Russian market. But at that moment the market was not ready for this and there was no understanding why it was needed. Now our product has matured, and we hope it will find its customers in the Russian market.
- What is the main task of the platform? Why should agriculture go online?
- Agriculture is the same business as everyone else and on the same platform buyers and sellers can find each other.
The main task of the platform is communication between the participants of the agro-industrial complex, networking, presentation of their products and services. It’s a kind of marketplace, only in the agricultural industry.
Another important point: as a tool the platform helps to prepare for offline events between exhibitions in order to get the maximum effect from a real exhibition in the future.
How it works? For example, in preparation for an exhibition, exhibitors can conduct an online series of round tables on the topic stated in the business program, and thus prepare exhibitors and visitors for a presentation. In another case - to conduct some preliminary negotiations on the purchase / sale and then meet at the exhibition and sign contracts.
- What problems does this project solve and what opportunities does this project provide?
- We, as an operator of the exhibition, receive inquiries with a request to find manufacturers of this or that equipment or service among our exhibitors very often, and we always help our exhibitors. But using such platform, the exhibitor will be able to find the right partner or client without intermediaries. The platform has all the resources for it: lists of companies by topic, contacts of specific managers, presentation materials. Thus, you can choose several suppliers, compare their products and prices and make a choice.
- The situation of our days has shown that the events suffered in the first place and no one knows whether we will return to our previous life in full. Do you think the Platform will be able to completely replace exhibitions?
- Our platform does not seek to replace real exhibitions. Once we had a hypothesis that everything would go online, but so far it is not the case. Working for many years in the exhibition business, we understand that this is only an additional tool for both the organizers of the exhibition and the exhibitors. Because the exhibition lasts 3-4 days, and in the digital space, information about the exhibitors is available for a long time. And, in fact, this is the advantage of the platform.
In other words, the time has come for hybrid exhibitions, when offline and online complement each other and work in synergy.
- Do you invite foreign participants?
- The platform is adapted to English, and foreign participants can also present their goods and services or find them on Russian territory. But naturally, exhibitors should develop their account and create and update English-language content. Our database contains a sufficient number of both Russian manufacturers and buyers and buyers abroad who have been participants and visitors of the Golden Autumn exhibition in different years.
- Do ordinary visitors, for example, of the Golden Autumn exhibition have a chance to register on the platform and communicate directly with the manufacturers of the products they are interested in? Or is the entrance open only to the B2B segment?
- The platform is an exhibition. It is attended by both exhibitors and visitors. Visitors ger registration in the same way and see all the materials in the same way, can listen to the business program and participate in round tables, ask questions to exhibitors and make videoconferences with exhibitors. We do not limit anyone.
In addition, state authorities, in particular the Ministry of Agriculture, are joining us. To this date, more than 15 regional ministries have been registered, but this is only the beginning, interest is growing gradually.
- And the last thing - how much does access to the platform cost?
- Registration and work on our platform is now free.
We can afford it through our own investment in the project and our regular partners who support our technology and help in financing it.
Many business sectors have to look for new approaches and ways of communicating with customers during pandemic. Exhibition business is one of the most affected segments. For the agro-industrial complex, exhibitions have always been an effective tool for finding partners and presenting their products. Vadim Korzhov, Executive Director of ROTEX LLC, talks in more detail about the functionality and prospects Russian agricultural online platform “Golden Autumn”, with which you can promote your products and exchange contacts even under quarantine conditions.
- Development of an online platform is a time consuming and not fast process. How did you manage to launch it in a short time under quarantine conditions? What prerequisites were there before?
- That’s true, the development of such a platform takes a long time. The fact is that we began to develop this platform 10 years ago and then tried to introduce online exhibitions on the Russian market. But at that moment the market was not ready for this and there was no understanding why it was needed. Now our product has matured, and we hope it will find its customers in the Russian market.
- What is the main task of the platform? Why should agriculture go online?
- Agriculture is the same business as everyone else and on the same platform buyers and sellers can find each other.
The main task of the platform is communication between the participants of the agro-industrial complex, networking, presentation of their products and services. It’s a kind of marketplace, only in the agricultural industry.
Another important point: as a tool the platform helps to prepare for offline events between exhibitions in order to get the maximum effect from a real exhibition in the future.
How it works? For example, in preparation for an exhibition, exhibitors can conduct an online series of round tables on the topic stated in the business program, and thus prepare exhibitors and visitors for a presentation. In another case - to conduct some preliminary negotiations on the purchase / sale and then meet at the exhibition and sign contracts.
- What problems does this project solve and what opportunities does this project provide?
- We, as an operator of the exhibition, receive inquiries with a request to find manufacturers of this or that equipment or service among our exhibitors very often, and we always help our exhibitors. But using such platform, the exhibitor will be able to find the right partner or client without intermediaries. The platform has all the resources for it: lists of companies by topic, contacts of specific managers, presentation materials. Thus, you can choose several suppliers, compare their products and prices and make a choice.
- The situation of our days has shown that the events suffered in the first place and no one knows whether we will return to our previous life in full. Do you think the Platform will be able to completely replace exhibitions?
- Our platform does not seek to replace real exhibitions. Once we had a hypothesis that everything would go online, but so far it is not the case. Working for many years in the exhibition business, we understand that this is only an additional tool for both the organizers of the exhibition and the exhibitors. Because the exhibition lasts 3-4 days, and in the digital space, information about the exhibitors is available for a long time. And, in fact, this is the advantage of the platform.
In other words, the time has come for hybrid exhibitions, when offline and online complement each other and work in synergy.
- Do you invite foreign participants?
- The platform is adapted to English, and foreign participants can also present their goods and services or find them on Russian territory. But naturally, exhibitors should develop their account and create and update English-language content. Our database contains a sufficient number of both Russian manufacturers and buyers and buyers abroad who have been participants and visitors of the Golden Autumn exhibition in different years.
- Do ordinary visitors, for example, of the Golden Autumn exhibition have a chance to register on the platform and communicate directly with the manufacturers of the products they are interested in? Or is the entrance open only to the B2B segment?
- The platform is an exhibition. It is attended by both exhibitors and visitors. Visitors ger registration in the same way and see all the materials in the same way, can listen to the business program and participate in round tables, ask questions to exhibitors and make videoconferences with exhibitors. We do not limit anyone.
In addition, state authorities, in particular the Ministry of Agriculture, are joining us. To this date, more than 15 regional ministries have been registered, but this is only the beginning, interest is growing gradually.
- And the last thing - how much does access to the platform cost?
- Registration and work on our platform is now free.
We can afford it through our own investment in the project and our regular partners who support our technology and help in financing it.
