If you ’ re a big Salesforce partner wooing particular customers , you ’ re basing the experience you ’ re delivering on a hospitality experience not an exhibition experience .
“ If you look at some of the new shows coming up like Festa [ Portuguese wine festival 24-25 June ] They didn ’ t want a greenfield site , didn ’ t want to go into BDC , Olympia or ExCeL . They wanted a festival feel and that ’ s way more cost effective to achieve at Tobacco Dock , rather than taking a hall somewhere and dividing into zones and trying to recreate that experience .”
Great experiences are not all about aesthetics . Technology , hygiene and accesiblity can all contribute to creating the perfect event environment .
“ Technology has a place in all of this ,” says Read . “ Use technology to enhance an experience or customer journey . Some stuff was happening prepandemic but it ’ s accelerating now .
“ Our Wi-Fi network can heat map , so it ’ s a real boost for organisers . We always encourage people to log on to our Wi-Fi , which is free for visitors , then [ organisers ] can use that data to see how people move around an event .
“ You can scenario plan – if I put a catering unit here what will the impact be , new shows especially are experimenting with layout and want to improve in future years . You can see where there are dead spots or too much traffic or more signage . It ’ s really interesting . The first attempts were done with Bluetooth and beacons , but that becomes difficult with critical mass .”
For those interested in the latest technological innovations , Tobacco Dock also has it ’ s own metaverse – a digital version of itself in which visitors can become virtual versions of themselves . It ’ s an added feature for physical visitors but also extends their reach around the world and to those unlikely to attend in person .
Read continues : “ Hygiene factors and accessibility has to be considered to make the experience as comfortable and welcoming for all your visitors .
“ Sustainability also has to be a consideration in how a show is designed these days . And healthier choices . The whole experience , the choice of food available , reflects your audience as well , that goes beyond dietaries , but the quality .
“ People are investing in a day out and what you don ’ t want is people thinking ‘ I ’ d better eat before hand because the food is overpriced and crap ’. You want them factoring in 90 minutes to enjoy some great food . That includes healthier and non-alcoholic options . Give people a choice .”
With living costs rising Read says the pressures to live up to visitors ’ expectations will continue to grow .
“ There are economic pressures , whether its disposable income or household utility bill , that all leads to people being more discerning about the experiences they invest in . They will be ruthless in the age of social media and give instant feedback if the experience doesn ’ t deliver .
“ What ’ s really important for exhibitions is the organiser having far more sway in terms of creative direction . If you ’ re dividing the space up and selling as a shell scheme that ’ s what you ’ re going to get , but if you look at , say , interior design shows there is a level of curation over the whole thing . Yes , they want to sell space to antique rug dealers , but even so there is an overall creative vision about how it ’ s going to look . That ’ s incredibly important in interior design . Of course you can not have an interior design show in a place that looks like a village hall . But that ’ s also important in B2B shows .
“ Maybe people have got a bit lazy about the creative process .
“ Don ’ t be creatively lazy . You have to be even more entrepreneurial about how you imagine the show because you ’ re not going to have a show unless you deliver on the experience you ’ re promising .” EN
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