Strategy
“Every show
should have a
strategy that
reflects the
realities not
just of today’s
market, but
that of the
future”.
Review the
outlook of the
underlying market
Identify the gap
with today’s event
Assess its impact
on customer
needs
It should inspire and be the constant
guide to daily decisions – which
segments to develop, who to target
and so on.
Strategy requires a commitment
from the business. Enablers include:
• Well organised data and feedback
systems (CRM, marketing automation,
satisfaction metrics, steering
committees, etc)
• Full involvement from leadership
down to operations and customer-
facing teams
• A close link between strategy and
budgeting
• Correctly aligned incentives
• Clarity of results with plan, action
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
and communication.
We see a wide range of approaches
to event strategy, and some of the
things that it should not be. These
include being a one-off, or something
that is repeated as an annual chore
without much original thought.
A well-implemented strategic
planning process leads to both revenue
growth and increased customer
satisfaction. It helps event organisers
to inform decision-making and to
focus on what to achieve in the long-
term. It gets event organisers closer to
their markets, so they can evolve more
easily to customer demands and avoid
disaster stories.
Move to the future
show shape and
positioning
Denzil Rankine is Executive Chairman
of AMR International Denzil.rankine@
amrinternational.com
Issue 5 2019
79