today 138
today 138
In April 2021, Plasser & Theurer opened the digital doors to the INNOVATION Week online trade fair for the first time. In retrospect, the number of visitors shows we can sum things up on a very happy note: the foray into the digital age of presentation technology went more than smoothly. Our customers and partners were delighted with the format.
Special times require special solutions. As the pandemic made a real-life trade fair with direct customer contact impossible, we decided to develop a virtual event. A decision that entailed a great deal of effort: more than 1,000 working hours at Plasser & Theurer alone went into producing this new format. However, its success proved us right and strengthened our dedication.
When INNOVATION Week went online on 27 April 2021, 57 videos, 18 brochures, 78 fact sheets, and 21 specialist articles were available for viewing. In line with our strategy, the stand was divided into the categories Machine, Fleet, and Infrastructure. Three brand-new machines were presented at the popular virtual outdoor exhibition: the 09-3X E³ Tamping Express with its groundbreaking hybrid drive, the Unimat 08-4x4/4S universal tamping machine with the “PlasserSmartTamping – The Assistant” turnout tamping assistance system, and the new ATMO rail grinding trailer for providing quick and simple correction of rail defects in urban settings. Touring the machines was an exciting experience. And it was even possible to visit the cabs.
The Innovation Week live webcast took place on 28 and 29 April 2021. Both experts from Plasser & Theurer and leading representatives of Shift2Rail, the EU research cooperative, participated in discussions on relevant topics. Visitors could ask questions during the panel discussion and have them answered live.
There was already a great deal of interest in the new online platform while the trade fair officially took place between 27 and 30 April 2021. For that reason, it remained online until the end of June.
A total of 3,900 customers, partners, experts, and interested participants ultimately visited INNOVATION Week 2021. The presentation videos were viewed approximately 330 hours. Visitors spent another 100 hours watching the exhibition stand videos. The videos on the Unimat 08/4S series and the 09-3X tamping machine were the most watched.
The virtual INNOVATION Week summary was highly positive. Both the high number of visitors and several pieces of personal feedback were very pleasing. In the words of Johann Dumser, Director of Global Marketing and Communications: “It was worth all the effort that went into this. The event did our brand and our product promise proud. We look forward to greeting our customers in person more often next year.”
