News Focus
International
Confex excels
International Confex (co-located with the Event Production
Show and The PA Show) ran from 25-26 February, in its
new home at ExCeL London
A
ll three Mash Media shows
coincided with Mash Media’s 25th
Birthday (25 February 2020), and made
it a very memorable occasion.
For the first time, the shows were held
concurrently at ExCeL London, and
the change in location had a positive
impact on attendees and exhibitors
alike. In addition, there was a more
fluid experience for delegates who
wished to see more than one show hall.
All three shows had record exhibitor
engagement with all showing growth
in exhibitor numbers. The quality of
seminars, displays, and exhibitors
this year were also improved, with a
palpable buzz across the show floor.
With the unknowns associated with
a large location move, marketing for
the events was crucial to maintain
and grow core audiences. Working in
partnership with industry associations,
media stakeholders, and new
technology agreements throughout
the events industry ensured that the
move, and the quality of the event, were
communicated across the industry.
International Confex delivered strong
results, consistent versus last year,
with more than 7,500 unique event
professionals attending over the two
days.
Event director for International
Confex, Duncan Custerson, said:
‘’We are absolutely delighted with the
positive feedback from International
Confex 2020. Our exhibitors really
‘scaled up’ in tune with the venue
move to London ExCeL. The new
venue also gave us the opportunity to
truly maximise the co-location of the
three shows (The PA Show, EPS and
International Confex), and the visitor
flow really worked. What really stood
out for me was the volume of relevant
content we managed to deliver, and
high attendee levels to every single one
is testament to their industry value.
“Moving any exhibition is daunting
but having made this transition and
maintained such high attendance
gives us the confidence to develop the
show further, and really hit the ground
running for 2021. We’re very proud
of the shows and the teamwork that
delivered three successful events and
with over 60 per cent reserved already
on the 2021 floorplan our exhibitors
“It couldn’t have been better
planned...The shows opened at a new
location on our 25th anniversary”
and sponsors seem to agree.’’
The Event Production Show saw
strong growth in attendee numbers
with a 7 per cent growth on last year
and total unique attendees of over
6,500 over the two days.
The PA Show had one of its best years
since Mash Media took over the event
four years ago. Attendance for the
show was up in all areas, most notably
in unique attendance figures which
experienced a 34 per cent increase
compared to last year, with the show
welcoming over 5,000 attendees.
Portfolio director for the Event
Production Show and The PA Show,
Mike Sherrard, said: “It was fantastic
to see the hard work of the show team,
speakers and exhibitors rewarded
by such highly engaged shows. The
quality of exhibits was extremely high
and this helped deliver events that our
visitors really enjoyed. It was excellent
to see the power of EPS and The PA
Show in full flow. We are already deep
in planning to carry on this success at
ExCeL London in 2021”
On the overall success of the three
events, Julian Agostini, managing
director at Mash Media, said: “It
couldn’t have been better planned.
Literally, to the day, the shows
opened at a new location on our 25th
anniversary and I am so proud of what
Mash has become and the quality of the
shows this year. I have received many
congratulatory emails and you only
need to go on our social channels to see
how well received the shows have been
this year and we can’t wait to be back
there again next year for an even bigger
event. How can you not love and get
excited about the events industry?”
International Confex, The Event
Production Show and The PA Show will
take place on from 2-3 March 2021 at
ExCeL London.
Photo supplied by Aniseed Photography.
14 — April