Reconnecting With People

"We decided to invest in a way to take our products, technologies, and educational opportunities directly to our customers," says Donald Bell, vice president of marketing for Ivoclar Vivadent.

The result is the 2021 Dental Innovation Tour, which features a 40-foot mobile unit crisscrossing its way through 40 cities in the United States and Canada. This mobile showroom is outfitted with Ivoclar Vivadent's latest digital technologies and material offerings, including PrograMill^® milling units, PrograPrint^® 3D printers, 3Shape scanners, IPS e.max^® materials, direct restorative solutions, and the award-winning Ivotion Denture System. Bell says the experience is "very impactful."

"Our objective is to bring our innovations and educational programs to dental professionals across North America," says Ivoclar Vivadent's president, Christian Brutzer. "This way, we can connect and cultivate relationships with our broad base of customers with personalized educational events to heighten awareness of Ivoclar Vivadent's digital technologies, CAD/CAM materials, and complete restorative, prosthetic, and removable workflow solutions."

Although digital experiences have proven to be very viable during the pandemic, Bell and his team decided that face-to-face connections were too important to go without for any longer.

"At some point, people want to get out and see each other," Bell says. "They want to have face-to-face conversations. They want to touch and feel products. And we want to reconnect with our customers in a more personal way that is really needed in the industry right now."

The Dental Innovation Tour will include personal tours through the mobile showroom as well as on-site education programs and evening events that are in compliance with current COVID-19 guidance and protocols.

"We are taking what we would put in a show and delivering it all over North America," Bell says. "People attend trade shows to learn and to capture continuing education. Simply providing access to products is not enough-we want to help you learn how to use them."

Virtual events have been shown to be convenient and effective and will likely continue to be somewhat popular even after the pandemic ends; however, much of the industry is hoping that live trade shows can return in full force sooner than later. Until then, Ivoclar Vivadent is determined to continue taking a proactive approach to connect with dental professionals.

"We, as a society and specifically in our industry, are still geared around people connecting with people," Bell says. "One of the biggest fatigue factors during the pandemic has been the isolation of people and industries that are accustomed to congregating and gathering. This might give us a greater appreciation for the opportunities that we have when we are able to meet in person again. At Ivoclar Vivadent, we are trying to get back to normal, and normal is people seeing people."

For more information:
Dental Innovation Tour
dentalinnovationtour.com
800-533-6825