Measurement
Can you measure the commercial DNA of your exhibition ?
Matthias Tesi Baur , CEO MBB-Consulting Group , revisits the measuring of our industry ’ s commercial DNA
M y answer to our headline question , I think , is ‘ Yes you can !’ Back in 2019 , MBB-Consulting embarked on a journey to find out if it was possible to measure the commercial DNA of our industry as a role-model project to prove that it is possible to measure the commercial DNA of an exhibition organiser . The aim was to discover where our industry stands , what the weak points might be and where we are good in our commercial approach .
To rate the commercial DNA of our industry , we developed a survey to define the commercial importance vs development level of 10 different aspects : Team Culture , New Revenue Streams , Pipeline Management , Rebooking , Rewards , KPI ’ s , Upselling , Sales data , Marketing support , and Pricing . We asked organisers , venues , and other industry participants two simple questions :
• Which one of these aspects is the most important ( on a scale of -100 to 100 )?
• How well developed is each of these aspects on the same scale ?
The scale ranging from -100 to 100 was created to assess the importance of each aspect relative to its level of development . For instance , in the 2019 data , team culture received a high importance score of 72 , but its development level was notably lower at 45 . This indicates that while team culture is an important factor for growth , it is perceived as underdeveloped .
Most importantly , it is key to note that these aspects are all internal , giving companies and management the power to make changes and directly impact the growth and profitability of their company .
So , what did we uncover ? In the 2019 results , team culture emerged as the standout driver , while pricing held the least importance . The results showed that our audience was divided on rebooking and pipeline management .
There was a consensus on the importance of upselling processes and new revenue streams despite both having low development rates . Moreover , across the board , the general development level of 289 out of 1,000 possible points lagged behind the perceived importance of 537 for all aspects . The survey demonstrates the complexity of our industry ’ s commercial DNA and highlights areas where improvement is needed .
Following the pandemic , MBB wanted to investigate whether there had been any changes in how the industry viewed commercial
Above : Matthias Tesi Baur
n If you ’ re interested in running this survey , reach out to us at contact @ mbbconsultinggroup . com aspects , and whether any progress had been made .
Running the survey again at the end of 2023 revealed some interesting findings when comparing to 2019 . Despite the disruption , a commercial team culture continued to hold its position as the most important driver for growth . Notably , there was an increased emphasis on Sales data and Marketing support , scoring 72 and 73 out of 100 respectively , suggesting a continued shift towards digitalisation and a holistic approach to sales that includes marketing within companies . The 2023 survey distinguished between our audience at the C-Level and non C-Level , and another significant finding was the lack of alignment between these two groups regarding what they consider important within the industry .
However , despite a slight increase , the general development score still lagged behind the importance score . This indicates that while progress has been made in developing commercial aspects , there is still considerable ground to cover . Again , the results underline the ongoing need for each company to fully develop a growth strategy to meet the evolving demands of the industry .
What does this mean for you and your company ? It is important to recognise that these results offer a general overview and may not reflect the specific perspectives of individual companies . Implementing this survey within your own organisation can unlock significant insights to guide the development of your strategy . These include assessing your commercial strengths and weaknesses , identifying opportunities for immediate improvements to enhance business profitability . EW
46 Issue 2 2024 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk