Feature
they know the show and it’s quite hard to get
them to stuff like that.
Burns comments that there is still a
perception that getting visitors in is the job
of the organiser, and that exhibitors can
simply pay money and turn up.
At Construction Week, says Garnett, in the
first year there were big brands on 3m shell
scheme ,with a pop up, next to competitors
with 150m.
“Unfortunately, that probably put that
brand off for two or three years, because they
know they didn’t do it properly,” he says.
“We need to explain the value of exhibiting.”
Cathy Oates, strategy and business
development director at Telegraph Events,
asks if the group feels there are any grounds
for organisers taking control editorially of
how exhibitors appear and arrive.
“It would be more risk, but we would
enforce that more strictly so that you
wouldn’t get those situations where people
are sitting with a table and a chair,” she adds.
“We’re responsible for the look and feel.”
“It was always about the
visitor at the heart; let’s
make it easy for them to
find what they need at
the show” – Nathan Garnett
Growth for growth’s sake
The discussion turns to providing the best
value for exhibitors and visitors, with James
Samuel, portfolio director – tech at GovNet
Exhibitions, wondering if there was a way
to reduce overall costs for exhibitors while
providing more profit for organisers, whether
through sponsorship of satellite events or
content.
“We know 25p of every pound might go to
us, how about being more clever? We could
get more from them and they could spend
less,” he argues.
“And then you get that customer
experience,” adds Rudkins-Stow. “They’re
having a better time because those
companies are still there and they’re being
more engaging.”
Oates comments: “The big thing is that
the KPIs our industry has been built on are
driving behaviour. It’s growth for growth’s
sake, but there have been shows that I’ve
been involved in that haven’t been growth for
growth’s sake and they’ve lasted many years
and have been aspirational to get into. That’s
Dean Linehan
Commercial director
GES EMEA
“With more and more
organisers focusing on
visitor journey, content
and personalised
experiences, the
festivalisation trend isn’t
going away anytime soon.
The challenge the
industry faces lies around
the dependence on selling
‘real estate’ and industry
KPIs, such as yield per
metre and rebook rates.
It was evident from our
discussion that there’s
a need for suppliers
and organisers to work
together to find solutions
to perennial exhibitor ROI
issues and collaborate on
activations that add real
value to visitors.”
an amazing place to be, it doesn’t mean
you have less exhibitors, you have the right
exhibitors and strong brand values.
“It’s a tough place to stay in an industry
that’s enjoyed such fast growth.”
Martin adds: “Our experience is that a
design and build customer will spend three
to five times what they spend on the show
floor to get their stand realised.
“However our best client is Boeing and
we’ve had them for 21 years, if we don’t
deliver on them meeting their objectives
then we don’t keep them.
“If we’re just doing build and burn then
that’s not good for us. There’s potential for
collaboration with construction companies
who will look for a three-year deal and want
to ensure that whatever we build isn’t just
good for one year.” EN
If you’re interested in taking part in a future
roundtable debate, email EN editor Nicola
Macdonald on [email protected].
June — 39