Is this the real world, or is this just fantasy? Remember those lines from the famous “Bohemian Rhapsody” lyrics of Queens’ Freddie Mercury?

It surely felt a bit surreal attending this trade fair!
It was the first-time online congress for HIPRA, and surreal first-time experience for many attendees, too.
Is a virtual event a real event at all? What’s different? And much more important: what is still the same?

Under the motto “Overcoming challenges in poultry health” the first virtual World Poultry Congress by HIPRA took place from June 14th to 17th. HIPRA is an Animal Health company focused on prevention.

H&N International was one of the exhibitors with a virtual booth and a broad variety of contents. Dr. Fernando Carrasquer delivered two key-note speeches about the importance of biosecurity and immunity in older layers.

Results

We saw some 145 plus visitors at our booth. And far more clicks, especially on our localizable posters, documents and manuals and also on our movie “The oval eggspedition” What started as an experiment proved to be a great success. “Participating at the World Poultry Virtual Congress (WPVC) was a great opportunity to welcome industry professionals, hatchery and technical specialists and business newcomers alike.” resumes Xabier Arbe, Managing Director at H&N International.

Attending a virtual conference as a virtual person did seem odd to all of us. Yet, we greatly embrace all channels that allow us to get in touch with prospects and our customers around the world.

Personally virtual

Both of us, Kira and Saskia, attended as well – or to be precise our Avatars. No woman would ever survive a trade fair on murderous high heels like her own avatar! We both had a lot of fun with the Avatars, the playful aspect definitely lowered the threshold to go to a virtual trade fair as a virtual person! Also, it was a bit strange to see other Avatars just “hanging in there” like in a daze when their owners seemingly where busy at other tasks. Seeing “dazing” Avatars is a little creepy. And active Avatars would go right through one another, also a strange and questionable behavior at first sight. I would inevitably think “ouch”, “oops” or “sorry” like I had really run into someone at first!

Virtually personal

But set all this aside we did talk with other people and virtually met them personally. Like on a real trade fair. And we did with our personal and professional backgrounds: Kira, a social media expert and myself, Saskia, multi-channel communication strategist.

After all, there are still real people behind the computer screens. “Being the most customer centered genetic company means to reach out our customers even in a virtual avatar format”, says Xabier Arbe.

Virtual or not – this is the real world

The point is to harness every opportunity to reach out to one another and to do so with the same open attitude, no matter if we sit together or thousands of miles apart. Of course, it is harder to listen and to interact.

The technology sitting in between dialogue partners swallows a lot of body language, audible and sensual aspects in exchange for virtual backgrounds and meeting assistance. A real dialogue in close proximity to one another simply cannot be replaced.

Nevertheless, it can be complemented with virtual formats. And these offer many benefits as well, since virtuality lets you gather for a quick meeting at the click of a button, it allows you to “travel” to any place with sufficient internet connection in a matter of only seconds.

No travel costs, no swollen legs, no baggage restrictions, no jetlag, or at least just a minor one because you can go back to bed in case an urgent meeting had to made at 2 pm

Conclusion

Do we work more? Do we work less? For sure we work differently. We embrace new opportunities and incorporate the good things into our company culture. Being a traditional company dating back to 1945 does not mean and must not – that nostalgia ties us down! Agility means to surf on the waves of change.

Reality is bigger than “real” and “virtual”. I recently met someone I had been working with for the past two years online already for the first time as a real person in flesh and blood. “You somehow look crisper than usual”, I thought. And only then it dawned on the two of us: Gosh, we’re meeting one another for the very first time!!!

All up to this moment it had felt so natural that it took us both more than just a second to realize that there was no screen in between us, and that the counterpart actually had two legs underneath!

This anecdote speaks volumes on how fast humans can change, learn and get accustomed to new conditions without giving up the good old real dialogue. My colleague really is as much fun right across the table as he is on screen.

We hope to meet him in real soon again! The special caramel wafers he brought as a gift were just way too good, although virtually they would have been totally calorie-free.

Reality is bigger than “real” and “virtual”. I recently met someone I had been working with for the past two years online already for the first time as a real person in flesh and blood.

“You somehow look crisper than usual”, I thought. And only then it dawned on the two of us: Gosh, we’re meeting one another for the very first time!!!