Last Word
Nigel Nathan
Olympia London, MD,
Nigel Nathan makes his
point on the future of the
exhibition industry
2
020 has already brought
some new challenges
to the industry, with
coronavirus dominating
the news. Whilst we hope
this will settle in the near
future, sudden challenges are
not at all uncommon in our
industry. We are constantly
adapting to trends, political
movements and even the
weather.
As an industry, we are an
exceptionally passionate
group of people who give
100 per cent to deliver
outstanding events and
attract audiences. In 2019,
we invested in our staff’s
learning and growth to
nurture, empower and
strengthen the Olympia
London family in wellbeing,
and professional & personal
development programmes
with results reaching beyond
our walls and benefitting
families, clients and the local
community.
We also continued to focus
and invest in sustainability.
Whilst Olympia London has
been sending zero waste to
landfill for over a decade,
it is only one small step in
the bigger scheme. Having
cemented this practice,
our staff-led initiative, The
Grand Plan, is now sharing
this expertise with other
venues, so we can all thrive
66 — March
and benefit together.
Last year, we launched a
programme to eradicate
single-use plastic and, in
another initiative, the venue
has reduced 17 per cent of
food waste four months after
joining WRAP’s national
campaign to tackle the issue.
With sustainability one
of the top priorities to an
increasingly larger number
of organisers, being a
sustainable venue is no
longer a ‘nice to have’ green
credential – it is now good
business sense.
Shifting consumer trends
also bring opportunities
for the industry. Some of
the latest reports analysing
online behaviour across
consumer groups found that
Gen Z (16 to 21-year olds)
spend more than seven hours
a day online. Further, 73 per
cent of them said they would
make a purchase based
purely on a social media
recommendation. We are no
longer competing with other
live experiences and events,
but mostly with smart
phones.
How do we keep the
audience engaged, pause
Netflix and come back for
more?
Emerging consumer
trends and tech are crucial
subjects for our industry,
and key drivers in informing
how we shape events to
keep attracting visitors.
Marketing, social channels,
feedback and testimonials
are all effective tools, but I
also believe in keeping it as
impartial as possible, so for
the past five years, Olympia
London has been conducting
independent surveys with
organisers, exhibitors and
visitors.
Their feedback has
informed the biggest
investment plan in our
history, which will expand
our venue into an event,
culture and entertainment
destination with added
restaurants, hotels and
public open spaces.
To ensure our organisers’
expectations are heard,
we are now bringing them
together with a series
of roundtables designed
to reveal the customer
experience and future of
events. We hope these
findings will not only be
beneficial for the venue, but
for industry as a whole.
Listening, adapting and
sharing expertise - this is
what will keep the event
industry thriving and secure
our brilliant future.
ABOUT NIGEL NATHAN
Managing director – Olympia
London
» 2007 – present:
Olympia London managing
director
» 1999 – 2007:
Commercial director of EC&O
venues
» 2004 – present:
Director of AEV
» 1996-1999
Head of events at BDC
» 1986-1988
MD Blenheim PEL and Blenheim
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