Roundtable
look at market strength both
nationally and internally.
She said: “We did a lot of
research. France is a bigger
market than the UK. We
have to research the market
and understand the visitors
but also look at the seasons
as our show is seasonal. We
also need to research other
events and identify the gaps
in the market and ensure we
can geo-adapt it easily.”
Ed Tranter, MD at 73
Media, who launches One
Earth show at the NEC on
24-25 October, believes
each event is different. He
adds: “The research process
is absolutely fundamental.
We’ve all been in the
situation where we have a
boss that has decided they
want to launch the show in
another place because they
said they know this market
and nine times out of 10 it’s
a colossal failure and then it
was your fault that it wasn’t
done properly. There’s no
guarantee a show will work
but you can give it its best
chance if you do the research
properly.”
“We did the best part of
eight months of sub-sector
research across Gen Z
and Millennials. It’s going
42 — February
“I worked
for one
company and
we launched
an event in
China and we
thought the
thing to do to
wow them was
to take them
for a Chinese
meal”
through each target audience
because each one of them
want different things. We
asked people what are they
looking for at the show?
What can we do to help
them? What do they want to
learn? Which brands do they
want to talk to?”
“I’ve run shows where
we’ve regionalised instead
of globalised, We took a
national show that we did
in London but only people
from London and the home
counties turned up and
then we replicated it in the
north. There is a model for
doing this as well, especially
for a sustainability show
where you want to drive the
message nationally as well as
internationally.
Paul Brown, COO at
Investor Publishing, who
specialises in health and
education events and has a
strong national model for
events, said: “We look at
where the operators are for
events and choose locations
where they can reach our
events. The key thing is to
get brand investors, but we
also have to understand the
culture and the region you’re
going into and what impact it
will have on your audience.”
Benjamin believes that we
need to think differently
about research, he adds:
“You can research anything
to validate your point.
There needs to be an
understanding at a top
level that it’s not just about
creating a market for an
event based on what you
are looking for but actually
understanding if there is a
need for the event and what
people want.”
Understand the culture
and securing the right
partnerships
Tranter explains that
understanding the culture
and needs of where you
launch an event is essential.
He said: “The partnership
approach is huge because
there will be different
companies, government
bodies and associations
and they can offer valuable
insight into those markets.
I worked for one company
and we launched an event in
China and we thought the
thing to do to wow them was
to take them for a Chinese
meal. Those partnerships
can help you do a lot of the
research and help you not
make silly mistakes.”