Unisfair partners with Cramer to make virtual events into better experiences

Virtual trade fairs have been taking off as a business, but now it’s time to up the game.

Virtual trade show company Unisfair is partnering today with digital marketing agency Cramer to produce virtual trade events that are more memorable experiences. Menlo Park, Calif.-based Unisfair has been staging events like virtual job fairs, where people can go online to a faux exhibit hall, create a virtual character and then interact with people attending the same event.

Unisfair has been staging events (600 to date) with immersive effects, such as 3-D graphics, video, audio, and animations that make you feel like you’re inside a realistic virtual world or a video game. But it’s easy to emphasize the informational or business aspect, at the sacrifice of fun and entertainment.

Competitors include InXpo and On24. In some ways, this move is a reaction to a deal that InXpo just cut. InXpo teamed up with experience marketing firm George P. Johnson to stage livelier virtual events.

Cramer, based in Norwood, Mass., is an event experience creator that knows how to spice things up. For 25 years, it has focused on how to get big brands to retain loyal customers or inspire sales teams through events. Clients include companies such as Gillette and Boston Scientific.

Unisfair, which raised $15 million to date, has more than 60 employees. Its investors include Sequoia and Norwest Venture Partners. It was founded in 2001. Customers include IBM, SAP, Careerbuilder, KPMG, and Citrix.