Feature
It’s been a difficult time
and Evolve MD Richard
Bartlett says being a multi
WESA 2020 winner means
a great deal and shows the
diversity and talent not only
at his agency, but also across
the entire industry.
Evolve’s THQ Nordic Stand
at Gamescom 2019 picked up
a diverse set of top awards
including: Best Storytelling,
Best Stand at a Games
Industry Event and Best
Stand 201-500sqm.
For Bartlett that signifies
Evolve’s ability to be in tune
with both the creative intent
of THQ Nordic’s game titles
and, more importantly, what
the target audience at the
show wanted to see and
experience. “It has been a
real challenge,” Bartlett says
of working from home. “We
have found that keeping
communication levels high
with our staff, suppliers and
clients has paid dividends
and we will come out of this
pandemic as a more efficient
company.”
The team, he says, has
also used the time as an
opportunity to research and
diversify. Evolve has also
been working closely with
UK industry associations
ESSA, AEO and AEV to
support Project Confidence,
helping to create a roadmap
for the safe re-opening of
event venues.
In terms of what changes
can be expected in future
stand design, Bartlett notes
that countries and regions
are all developing their
own guidelines and he is
Merging physical and
virtual for future
stand design
Richard Bartlett, MD and creative director at
Evolve Creative Solutions, a 2020 Winner at the
World Exhibition Stand Awards, tells EN about
talent, trends and how to build for the future
anticipating new design
and build regulations for
each show hall. “There is no
guarantee that the guidelines
will be consistent across
regions, which is going to
be challenging to global
companies like Evolve,” he
notes. And Bartlett expects
big changes to everything
from basic exhibition hall
access, build and breakdown
regulations, visitor numbers,
stand access, catering, even
the types and format of
product displays. “We have
to find ways to merge the
creative and retail focus of a
stand with the new reduced
level of social interaction,
and still make visitors want
to come to the show,” he
adds.
He acknowledges extreme
restrictions on social
interaction are forcing
organisers down the digital
events route and, in the short
term, expects monitored
visitor numbers, dedicated
hygiene points, thermal
entrance scanning and
controlled visitor flow.
Diversification into a mix of
virtual and physical offerings
can only benefit clients and
visitors, however, Bartlett
believes and is confident we
will get back to, “amazing
physical events with full
social interaction, which is
what we all want and our
clients demand, but I think
Covid-19 has changed the
event landscape forever and
potentially for the better”.
A plethora of directives
is likely to make the real
impact on stand design
hard to predict, says Barlett:
“We are looking at quite
a large number of safety
protocols, like registration
of all visitors, wider aisles,
clear one way routing, floor
markings and the inclusion
of hygiene zones with
face masks. The emphasis
is on minimising human
contact, so one of the biggest
challenges for our design
team is going to be the
development of presentation
areas that avoid large
numbers of people and allow
for screen guards between
activities.
“Protocols can easily be
incorporated into a design,
but what won’t change in
stand design is the need
for clarity from the venues,
client understanding and
development lead times that
allow us to integrate these
elements successfully into
the stand design.”
In terms of how the
tradeshow of the future
might look, Bartlett notes a
future stand for the gaming
sector will be very different
from one for the aerospace
sector. He believes physical
and virtual technology will
merge and drive every aspect
of future stand design.
“Increasingly we
are pushing to create
more immersive brand
experiences, moving stands
away from traditional retail
models,” he concludes. “I can
only see this trend gaining
pace and can see a time
where a stand will be more
like a multi-sensory step into
a company’s brand, its values
and product offer.” EN
24 — September