Navistar Parts & Service Power Up Virtual Expo
Challenge
The Client Navistar International Corp. is a U.S. manufacturer of International® brand commercial trucks, midrange diesel engines, IC Bus™ brand school buses, defense vehicles and more. In addition, they’re a private-label designer and manufacturer of diesel engines for pickup trucks, vans and SUVs. The Opportunity Looking for a smart way to reduce costs rather than cancelling important events because they’re perceived to be too expensive in a demanding economy, Navistar turned to Gerard to find a creative alternative.
Solution
Gerard created the Power Up Virtual Expo — a five-day event for suppliers and dealers gathering for meaningful business development and relationship building in 2009. The Expo was held in our Internet-enabled convention center, which fostered a collaborative meeting place where suppliers and dealerships could meet, learn and make buying decisions. Like live events, the Expo also featured a full schedule of “main hall” keynotes, product information sessions on the Expo floor and special supplier discounts to generate sales. Based on the overwhelming success of the 2009 Expo, Gerard brought it back for 2010, this time with the added presence of eStores, webinars, an online event coordinator and even a leader board competition, which rewarded dealers for interacting with participants.
Results
Supplier attendance increased, chats nearly quadrupled to 5,024, approximately 45,000 videos were viewed, over 650,000 downloads occurred and sales numbers doubled from the previous year.
Gerard Agency
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