When Covid-19 struck, the world became a very different place. The management of the Nor-Fishing Foundation hoped for a long time that it would be possible to run Nor-Fishing 2020 as planned, but these plans were ended when the Norwegian government announced that no gatherings of more than 500 persons would be allowed until 1st September. As a result, Nor-Fishing 2020 was cancelled – for the first time in the exhibition’s long history.
Instead, the organisers immediately started to put together an online event, scheduling it for the same three days in August that the usual exhibition would have spanned.
Nor-Fishing 2020 Digital can best be described as an interactive TV programme. A host will guide viewers through an industry event consisting of exciting reports, studio guests, professional debates and meetings with many exciting exhibitors.
The team at Nor-Fishing is recreating the marketplace and the interaction between exhibitors and visitors and dialogue between exhibitors and visitors is facilitated through live chat, and a booking function for digital meetings between exhibitors and viewers will be in place.
Exhibitors can also buy advertising time during the "broadcast". They can choose between 30 and 60 seconds of advertising time that will be broadcast between the elements of the programme. In addition to the short advertising elements, exhibitors will also have the opportunity to buy a somewhat more extensive studio time, giving them six minutes in the studio where a representative of the company is interviewed by the host.
"We have been fortunate to have recruited TV personality Arne Hjeltnes as the program host for these broadcasts," said Kari Steinsbø. "He has previously hosted the entertainment at our seafood dinners for several years, and he also knows the Norwegian fishing industry very well."
"With Nor-Fishing 2020 Digital, we will set the standard for digital fairs," added Nor-Fishing Foundation CEO Kristian Digre.
"We want to give visitors a truly unique viewing experience - and will facilitate exhibitor-viewer interaction – which is as it should be during a trade show."
In addition to posting the live stream directly, the entire event will be posted on Nor-Fishing's website so that the content can be viewed, making the the digital exhibition available after the year's event is over. Following Nor-Fishing 2020 Digital is completely free of charge for viewers.
60th anniversary
Nor-Fishing celebrates its 60th anniversary this year – which made it extra sad that this seemed to be the first and only year in the exhibition’s history that the event had to be cancelled. But the anniversary will also be celebrated digitally.
"We want to mark the anniversary with exciting and fun flashbacks from the 60 years that have passed, and we will have a chat with key figures from the exhibition’s history," said Erik Hempel, communications director at the Nor-Fishing Foundation.
“But we also want to look a little ahead, because the future of trade shows has become a topic for discussion, not only in Norway, but all over the world. Therefore, on the last day of the event we will have a discussion about the future of trade shows.”
Nor-Fishing 2020 Digital will take the pulse of the fishing industry with panel debates on important fisheries policy topics, an academic programme developed by representatives from SINTEF Ocean, Norway’s technical university NTNU and several industry organisations, as well as the Nor-Fishing Foundation.
The Student Day, which is arranged in collaboration with NTNU and the BI business school, will also be conducted digitally. There will also be daily sessions with students.
"Recruitment is extremely important," said exhibition manager Kari Steinsbø.
“We have been working closely with NTNU for several years when it comes to organising the Student Day on the last day of the exhibition, and the popularity of this event has increased from year to year. That's why we give the students a broad presence in the digital program as well.”
The industry’s most important meeting place – now also digitally
Exhibitions are a very important international meeting place for players in the fisheries sector, and an important arena for presenting new technology to the industry. The Nor-Fishing Foundation has for many years pointed out that the exhibition has three main elements: as a display window for new technology, as a forum where knowledge can be updated through a series of mini-seminars and presentations, and as a meeting place where old contacts are maintained and new ones established.
“Through Nor-Fishing 2020 Digital, we hope to recreate the physical marketplace that Nor-Fishing represents, in a new and exciting format,” says Kristian Digre. “Exhibitors will be presented with new technology, have a dialogue with customers on the live chat - and arrange their own digital meetings with viewers who wish to meet them. This will be an arena for presentation, dialogue and trade between exhibitors and visitors.”
Arranging a meeting place has been the key challenge and although ways have been developed for exhibitors and visitors to communicate one-on-one, it will not be possible to recreate the usual informal exhibition atmosphere, not least over a beer at the outdoor restaurant, in the sunshine and warmth of the Trondheim summer.
"I don't think digital fairs can fully replace the physical exhibitions," Erik Hempel said. “However, it can be a useful substitute in a situation like the one we have this year. But I'm looking forward to next year, when hopefully we can meet again physically.”
The exhibition programme is available on the Nor-Fishing website
