Exhibition News March 2019 | Page 58

A venue with personality E vents of any size need to have an impact. They represent an investment which has to see a return by attracting the right attendance and leaving a strong impression. Content will always be the priority but what about backdrop and the value of a venue with personality? Venues that tell a story are thriving. They provide a creative aspect to an event for no extra charge – space hire is still space hire, cost per square metre has to be competitive. But a backdrop that off ers more than big rooms with blank walls can enhance content, increase attendance and amplify the impact. Often however, venues with personality come with a compromise. An event business is secondary to a venue’s primary purpose whether that’s a racecourse, a stadium or a museum. The grandeur of a stately home hotel with its open fi res and staircases is an undeniably lovely environment but there’s often an access issue or a struggle to park. The Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre is a venue at the home of pioneering spirit. The heritage of its location is woven throughout the building but there is no compromise: it has been designed and developed for the sole purpose of hosting events of all size. From a 12,000sqm exhibition hall to conference space or meeting rooms. Farnborough has rich history of aviation fi rsts with much of the ingenuity that continues to shape modern-day aerospace taking place here. The venue looks out onto the ‘Blacksheds’ which stand as a landmark to the fi rst powered fl ight achieved by local hero Samuel Cody in 1908. From the jet engine, the designs for Concorde, high altitude space suits, night vision aids, carbon fi bre, even heads-up cockpit displays; it has all happened in Farnborough.