Feature
“Some industries
are better suited
to festivalisation
than others - I
can’t imagine
running a ‘Festival
of Bonds’ or
a ‘Festival of
Infrastructure
Finance’”
can always exit the public out of
a show if necessary, and do it in
a safe and consolidated manner,
liaising with emergency services.”
Kelling reiterated this, saying
that rehearsal and a strong work
environment is key. “If you have a
strong work environment,” he said,
“that will translate into a strong
crisis environment, and you’ll be
able to deal with threats more
effectively.”
Chambers then spoke about the
controversy surrounding scantily-
dressed female models at gaming
show ICE in 2018. Following a
high-profile story of a similar
nature in the press, journalists
from major outlets snuck into the
show and recorded footage which
drew negative attention online.
ICE’s response was to shut down
its social media coverage, in the
hopes that the story would die.
The organisers also attempted
to remove exhibitors who had
brought a controversial pole-
dancing display. According to
Chambers, the key to controlling
the PR crisis was being highly
reactive on the day of the show.
Launching a business
The final panel discussion at the
pavilion was focused on launching
a new business, and what it takes
to go solo. In attendance were
Mehram Sumray-Roots, founder
of YADA Technology, Sam North,
founder of Inflection Point, Ed
Poland, founder of Hire Space and
Mike Seaman, MD of Raccoon
Events.
Seaman said that the seed of
every business is an idea for a
product or service, and that start-
ups then need to find out whether
there is a gap in the market for
that idea. Raccoon Events, he said:
“did not start with the brand, or
the company. We started with a
product and worked back from
there.”
Sumray-Roots commented:
“You need to be able to sum up
your brand in three words, and
everything you do afterwards has
to come back to two of those three
Above and below:
The panel discuss
crisis management
words.” Poland agreed, saying:
“Establishing purpose and identity
early on is so important – in a
crowded marketplace, people look
for consistency.”
Lastly, North reiterated the
importance of attending events
such as International Confex, even
during the busy start-up period.
He said: “When I was launching
my business, I was so involved
in it I almost forgot how big my
network was. Meeting people at
shows is an opportunity for new
business, and also just to bounce
ideas off one another.” EN
April — 51