Roundtable review
How do you launch a successful trade show ? That was the question posed at a roundtable discussion at Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre , 25 November . Attended by a dozen organisers with varying degrees of experience , it became clear early on that the word ‘ successful ’ in the session title was surplus to requirements .
One cannot launch a successful trade show , they can only launch a trade show itself ; its success can only be determined retrospectively .
As you would expect , there were a range of opinions on the matter , but one thing is sure : there is no playbook when it comes to launching a show .
The first thing an aspiring organiser must do is , of course , to choose a marketplace to serve . Ralph Collett , chairman of Raccoon Events , among other roles , says that he prefers the ‘ challenger ’ model . “ Find a show that is already serving the market and work out how you can make it better ,” he says .
It ’ s a bold move from the outset , and perhaps not something to be undertaken by those of a more nervous disposition . But some manner of bravery is needed if launching a trade show is on your to-do list . Indeed , Raccoon ’ s CEO , Mike Seaman , notes that you have to do whatever it takes to get your show off the ground . Seaman , who launched the National Running Show at Farnborough in 2018 , says it ’ s about “ touch and feel ” and immersing yourself in the community .
“ We went big at the start ,” says Seaman . “ For us , the best way to attract visitors was to get ourselves a really big keynote speaker , to give the show credibility .”
Indeed , Seaman notes that it was still uncertain whether that tactic would work , but thankfully it did .
Launching a trade show
EN hosts a roundtable at Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre with a range of organisers to establish the secrets of a good show . Martin Fullard reports
Value mapping Frazer Chesterman , director at FM Future Ltd and co-creator of EventLaunchPad , suggests that one of the key considerations when launching a trade show is to undertake ‘ value mapping ’, which he says aids in getting to the heart of your target community ’ s pain points .
“ All companies should be value mapping . It ’ s about addressing your customers and thinking a little bit about the way they feel when you launch a show ,” he says . “ If you have a customer community , either an exhibitor community or visitor community , it ’ s worth having a conversation with them about what keeps them up at night , to understand the pain points that they feel . If you can deal with their pain , then you can clearly identify how to respond to them and build a show around this to solve their needs .”
Chesterman adds that the content you deliver should be focused on tackling these pain points .
“ The point is , that by value mapping , you are able to tune into their needs . And if you get that right , then you ’ ll get a trade show off the ground ,” he says .
Getting the most out of it One of the most important questions an organiser must ask themselves , and indeed answer to their audience , is how to encourage and help exhibitors to get the most out of their show .
Alison Willis , divisional director at Easyfairs , says each exhibitor must be treated as an individual and the most important thing about that whole journey is to understand their objectives .
44 — Winter