Partner comment
Since the exhibitions industry received the green light for reopening in June 2021 , Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre has been a revolving door for some of the biggest events , innovations , and activations within the sector . Venue director Carlo Zoccali shares his experience on the resurgence of physical events at the venue and how the needs of attendees have adapted since lockdown was lifted .
At Farnborough
International Exhibition & Conference Centre , we have positioned ourselves at the forefront of reopening the industry and invited fellow pioneers to join us face-to-face in the return of exhibitions and conferences .
Within the last five months , more than seven industryleading exhibitions have taken place at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre , including the Event Production Show , Space-Comm Expo and The British Motor Show , attracting over 70,000 people to our venue ’ s 500,000sqm of indoor and outdoor event space . Following the end of lockdown , we found the event landscape has evolved into a diverse group of events , with niche focuses and programmes , showcasing innovation across sectors and reconnecting their audiences . The proportion of new visitors to our venue has increased dramatically to 79 %, in comparison to 2019 / 20 ’ s 54 %, suggesting that a range of different events has brought a new
The revival of face-to-face events
Carlo Zoccali , venue director at Farnborough International , relishes the return to live interactions
audience through our doors . For those visitors who have returned to the venue net + 19 % found this year ’ s visit ‘ better than previous ’. The evolution of events and the demands of attendees has also seen the need to develop innovative experiences to strengthen brand engagement with audiences . We supported ITT Hub in June with the development of Ride and Drive initiatives , hosted five consecutive live roundtables with Space-Comm Expo , worked with The British Motor Show to support its return to the market in a different format after 12 years and ensure the safe implementation of a live car performance area on-site and enabled Fully Charged Live to facilitate over 1,000 test drives a day . The success of face-to-face events doesn ’ t seem to be slowing down . Each of the events we have organised or hosted throughout the summer months , three of which were brand new launches to the market , have received resounding positive feedback from their attendees and partners , with the majority already selling tickets for their 2022
Carlo Zoccali
instalments and achieving an average exhibitor rebook rate of 70 %. Offering scalable spaces , the latest in-house technology and more than 50 years of experience , we aim to continue working with our partners in spearheading the way for events around the world , putting best-in-class customer service and experience at the epicentre . For more expertise and information on hosting events at Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre , visit www . farnborough . com
Autumn — 51