Geo-adaptation : a recipe for the coming years ?
Matthias Tesi Baur , CEO MBB Consulting Group founder , moderated a panel discussion at International Confex in London in March and reports on that debate
D uring International Confex 2023 in London in March , I had the pleasure to moderate a panel discussion with my industry friends Austen Hawkins ( managing director / F2F Events Ltd ), Damion Angus ( group managing director / Montgomery Group ), Mike Seaman ( CEO / Raccoon Media Group ), Garcia Newell ( business development director Europe / DSV Fairs & Events ) and Diego Cortese ( vice-president - venue commercial / DWTC ), to discuss and investigate if geo-adapting events into other regions and countries might be a good recipe in the current economic situation to grow the event business and become more resilient in future .
Our panel truly carried a great wealth of experience and knowledge regarding the topic , coming from different perspectives and backgrounds . I was geo-adapting shows myself for several years during my time at UBM while I was looking after the company ’ s food portfolio . In my situation I had the luck and comfort to be part of a larger organisation with offices in many major markets , which enabled us to collaborate with local colleagues in geo-adaptation show launches .
Building efficient cross-border teams and a ‘ food-portfolio identity ’ was inevitably the key to success in this situation . “ But how does a geoadaptation show launch look like in different company set ups ?” was my first question to the panel .
Austen shared his insights regarding show launches in Germany and how value chains can be fundamentally different even in countries with similar economic systems and standards . “ Never take it for granted that a show concept that works in one country will also work in another country ,” said Austen . Damion agreed and added that it could be a mistake to assume that countries are similar only due to the fact English is the first language . “ Research the local culture , business system , marketing jargon and when you think you know everything , do another round of research ,” was Damion ’ s advice to avoid finding out that a show concept that works in your home country might not work in another country . This applies even more to B2C events added Mike from Racoon Events and he described how his company launched its outdoor sport events in the US market .
“ The US is a difficult place to do business for organisers – venue costs and drayage really restrict our ability to trade , but the prize is significant if you get it right . You must be willing to invest for the
Matthias Tesi Baur , CEO MBB Consulting Group
long term , take balanced risks and re-learn a lot of traditional thinking ,” said Mike , who went on to explain that a geo-adaptation is not a “ quick ” exercise and a willingness for a longterm commitment including a deep learning curve is required .
“ As with all of our shows , the team and local knowledge is crucial , but be wary of people who claim to know everyone and be able to solve everything – they rarely can !” Mike continued , and described that , on one hand , local knowledge can ’ t be missed but that this does not mean you should make your success depend on one or two local team members or local partners only .
Typical challenges
This brought us to the second topic of our panel in which we discussed typical challenges of geo-adapting shows . One of these challenges obviously comes with organising the logistics around an event in an often ( yet ) unknown market for the organiser .
“ Having handled many shows that have been launched in various countries , we know of exhibitors and also organisers who encounter huge problems with customs at the borders , because they have not considered the different rules that apply for that country for the importation of exhibiting materials for exhibitions / events .
Changes in shipping and handling costs are also not considered when adapting a show in another location , and this can be quite frustrating ,” explained Garcia from DSV . “ This might be an even bigger challenge in times of disrupted value chains and distribution channels . Having an experienced logistics partner who is on top of the globally changing situation of moving goods and traveling is key !
“ Speak with your logistics and other contractors prior to deciding
20 Issue 2 2023 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk