Association Voice
A credit to
the industry
Martin Cairns, ESSA chair and commercial director at
Reeds Carpets, on setting the gold standard for event
and exhibition suppliers
A
“It has long been
an ambition
within ESSA
to set the gold
standard for event
and exhibition
suppliers”
64 — April
s we never tire of repeating in this industry,
face-to-face engagement has no substitute.
It still forms a central pillar of the marketing mix
for thousands of businesses, from multinational
conglomerates to SMEs, because it gets results.
Within exhibitions, the satisfaction and success of
these exhibitors must be one of our primary goals.
Whether they are sole traders taking a small shell
scheme, or household brand names with their own
feature area and auditorium, it’s our responsibility
to ensure every exhibitor receives the highest
standard of service from their exhibition partners.
This has long been an ambition within ESSA.
For over a decade ESSA has been independently
trying to set the gold standard for event and
exhibition suppliers. Our requirements for
membership give our members’ customers
assurances about solvency, competency and
accountability. And our long-running ‘Use an
ESSA Member’ campaign has received widespread
support through our sister associations in the
Event Industry Alliance. I believe we have grown
sufficiently in stature and membership to launch
our own accreditation scheme.
What ESSA accreditation will consist of, in
detail, will be announced at a special town-hall
session at the upcoming AGM in April, but we aim
to provide exhibitors and organisers with a true
guarantee of professionalism, experience, probity,
and financial stability and begin to eradicate poor
service within the sector altogether.
Of course, exhibitor satisfaction and success
could be seen as a by-product, as the accreditation
scheme is primarily for the benefit of our
members. We want to create a level playing field
for all event suppliers, and that means setting
the standard that should be expected of every
event supplier, and not just our own members. For
example, working at height, minimum staffing,
PPE etc., all cost time and money; and when less
reputable businesses can cut costs by simply
ignoring regulations and requirements it harms
the industry. Not just directly, through harm to
individuals; it leads to poor service, erodes trust in
suppliers, creates the conditions for a race to the
bottom, and it makes it impossible for reputable,
reliable and trustworthy suppliers to compete.
ESSA Accreditation upon its completion,
towards the end of 2019, will be a well-planned
and thought-out initiative, a long time in the
making.
We’re going to make it as accessible and
straightforward for our members as possible, and
we’ve worked to ensure it’s not going to be an
onerous, costly or time-consuming process for
them...they do of course, still need to make the
grade! Unlike current membership requirements,
accreditation will mean a degree of continuous
policing, and will govern a broader range of
activities and minimum standards.
Organisers, venues, and above all exhibitors,
will know that with an ESSA Accredited supplier
they are in good, safe, trustworthy hands. We will
be working with all our members over the year
ahead, and providing support and resources where
possible, for them to meet the new accreditation
requirements when it is launched.
You only have to browse the testimonials
received by our members to understand why
accreditation is going to be important for
improving the exhibitor experience.
Our members deliver great service, and the
kind of exhibitor experience that every exhibitor
deserves, and has a right to expect.