Beyond the Booth: Rethinking Digital Experiences in B2B

In the past, things were simple: three intense days of handshakes, business cards, and lead-hunting. But the B2B world has evolved, and with it, people’s expectations. Today, a modern trade fair isn’t just a three-day event. It’s an ongoing experience that blends digital and physical touchpoints long before the doors open and long after they close.

Digitalization has unlocked new opportunities to extend and enhance physical events. From apps that help with navigation and parking to e-commerce and service platforms, digital tools now deliver tangible value to both exhibitors and visitors. The goal is a holistic customer journey that connects the live event with meaningful digital engagement. Michael Melcher, Vice President Business Development & Innovation at NürnbergMesse, was one of our latest Digital Product Talks podcast guests. He shared some eye-opening insights about how digital transformation is reshaping the trade fair experience and why so many B2B companies still treat dysfunction in their digital systems as “normal.” Spoiler: it’s not. Digital transformation isn’t about replacing the physical. It’s about extending it through smarter data, more consistent communication, and better experiences – not only during the event but before and after it.

From three days to 365

The fair is no longer a three-day event. It’s part of an ongoing relationship with exhibitors and visitors.
– Michael Melcher from NürnbergMesse

Over the past 10 years, NürnbergMesse has transformed its once-static, event-based processes into a connected digital ecosystem built on smarter data, transparent communication, and seamless user experiences. This shift didn’t just happen overnight. Look at it this way: digitalization isn’t just an app or a platform. It’s an understanding of your users and how they experience your brand at every single touchpoint. And once you think about it like that, the difference between B2B and B2C audiences becomes clear.

B2B trade fairs target specific audiences. Visitors come with clear goals: to learn, compare, or make decisions. Digital services like scheduling tools or personalized content can make a real difference in supporting their journey. B2C events, by comparison, serve a broader audience where orientation, entertainment, and interaction play a larger role. But whether B2B or B2C, the principle remains the same: great digital experiences start with empathy. When UX, design, and strategy work together, every interaction feels effortless.

This brings us to another lesson from experimentation in the digital space: the Metaverse hype. There are two reasons it didn’t work well for trade fairs: people still crave real human interaction, and the technology wasn’t ready. But the hype wasn’t meaningless. It reminded us that digital experiences shouldn’t replace physical ones, they should expand them. It’s less about recreating an event online and more about building meaningful bridges between both worlds.

Accepted dysfunctionality in B2B systems

Let’s be honest: many B2B digital products are… not great. Outdated interfaces, inconsistent data, clunky workflows, and yet, everyone just adapts. This “accepted dysfunctionality” has quietly become the norm. Teams know the systems are broken, but replacing them feels too complex, too political, or too expensive.

The sad thing is, people have learned to live with broken systems instead of fixing them. But that’s not efficiency, that’s resignation. And the result? Slower processes, frustrated teams, and user experiences that lag far behind the intuitive apps we all use daily. At COBE, we combine UX, design, and strategy to build digital experiences that feel intuitive, consistent, and meaningful. You got to make sure the agency you work with cares about your vision and values.

Once you start thinking about UX and CX this way, it becomes clear that it’s not just a design detail, it’s a leadership responsibility. In many B2B companies, UX still sits at the end of the strategy line, and that’s exactly the problem. If management doesn’t own UX, no one will. Yet UX impacts efficiency, reputation, customer retention, and long-term trust. Bringing CX and UX into leadership conversations shifts the question from “What can we build?” to “What do people actually need?” because true innovation starts with empathy and accountability.

Agile collaboration: integrating teams, not just tools

When COBE joined NürnbergMesse’s transformation journey, the goal wasn’t to act as an external consultant but to become part of the team. “True change happens when you integrate, not just advise,” says our CEO, Felix. We worked directly inside their existing systems, sprints, and tools, helping shape the process from within.

This collaborative model blends the creative perspective of an agency with the context and ownership of an internal team, turning digital transformation from a project into a true partnership. And once you’ve experienced that kind of integration, it becomes easier to see how it can set new benchmarks for the industry.

After more than a decade of digital transformation, NürnbergMesse isn’t just following trends – it’s setting new standards. Digital tools are becoming human-centered experiences, and UX is treated as a strategic driver. Even complex B2B ecosystems can become flexible, intuitive, and user-focused. Exhibitors and visitors feel connected all year round, not only during the event.

Moving forward: responsibility, empathy, and action

The B2B world doesn’t need more buzzwords. It needs courage to fix what’s broken, to design with empathy, and to take responsibility for the experience you create.

Digital transformation isn’t about technology, it’s about improving how people work, decide, and connect. So the real question isn’t: Should my company rethink its digital experience? It’s: When will we finally start?

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