Feature
Farnborough International
Looking South and East
EN editor Saul Leese turns his attention to what the venues in the South
East have to offer organisers looking for places to stage their events.
There is no shortage of
venues around the South
East capable of staging small
to large exhibitions.
Many organisers are now
exploring alternative options
beyond London which offer
the capacity they require,
as well as being in close
proximity to transport
links, and the capital’s large
catchment area.
Some organisers are
considering creating a greater
number of smaller regional
events to allow for an
anticipated drop in exhibitor
numbers, but also protect
revenue streams going
forward against the effects of
the Covid-19 pandemic. Some
brands have been successfully
able to survive because they
have enough national and
regional events at different
times of the year.
EN takes a tour of the South
East, which is defined by the
counties of Buckinghamshire,
Oxfordshire, Berkshire,
Hampshire, Surrey, East and
West Sussex, and Kent, to
discover more about what its
venues offer.
Farnborough International
Exhibition and Conference
Centre
Farnborough International
Exhibition and Conference
Centre is a purposebuilt
venue located at the
birthplace of British aviation.
Situated alongside one of
Europe’s leading business
airports, the venue has access
to London and the South
East market. Farnborough
is surrounded by a cluster
of industries including
pharmaceuticals, technology
and aerospace and defence,
giving it access to a
potentially important and
high-value audience.
The venue has been
designed and shaped around
its location, drawing on its
rich historical heritage of
aviation firsts, including
the maiden flight of Frank
Whittle’s first ever jet engine
through to the design of the
supersonic Concorde.
» Size: 12,500sqm of
exhibition space and
conference rooms capable
of hosting up to 1,000
delegates
» Transport: Easily
accessible, Farnborough
has fast train connections
to the capital, taking
35-minutes from London
Waterloo. Free on-site
parking for 3,500 cars
» Loction: Farnborough,
Hampshire and Surrey
border
Jockey Club Racecourses
(Sandown, Epsom, Kempton)
The Jockey Club was
founded in 1750 by a group of
gentlemen brought together
by a shared passion for horse
racing. Initially meeting
in London at the Star and
Garter in Pall Mall, and also
in St. James’ Street and Hyde
Park, the Club soon relocated
to Newmarket.
Sandown Park, Epsom, and
Kempton Park have all been
developed to accommodate
events of varying sizes, and
all the venues benefit from
national rail transport links.
They all sit within the M25.
Richard Isom, head of sales
for London at Jockey Club
Racecourses, explained:
“Across our London portfolio,
Epsom Downs, Sandown
Park and Kempton Park,
we have an abundance of
indoor and outdoor space
at our racecourses, which
can comfortably handle
the government’s current
social distancing measures.
We also have a vast number
of free parking spaces at
our racecourses meaning
delegates have the option to
make their own way to the
venue if they would prefer to
avoid using public transport.
“Our outdoor spaces are
suitable for hosting a widerange
of events, whether
that is teambuilding or a
conference in a marquee.
With the nature of the
racecourses and its primary
business, we are used to
handling large crowds and
installing the necessary
infrastructure for our race
meetings. We have already
34 — June