Delivering value to exhibitors is one of the biggest challenges event organisers face today.
With so many events on offer and multiple options for marketing a brand in the digital age, making your event stand out as an attractive proposition to exhibitors is essential.
This can be trickier to achieve than it looks, especially if, as an event organiser, you’ve always done things a certain way or relied on that old industry staple, the shell scheme, to build your events around.
Yet evidence suggests that exhibitors and visitors alike are turning their backs on more traditional industry expos and trade shows in favour of events which offer a different experience and, crucially, more value.
This leaves event organisers facing a major quandary – stick with the same old, tired formula and see audiences continue to dwindle, or innovate and grow. When you look at it like that, the latter seems the obvious choice, right?
But, if you’ve always done things the same way and stick with shell scheme as the safe and comfortable option, how easy is it to change course and follow a different path?
It’s not as difficult as you might think. In fact, working with the right outsourced events partner to complement your in-house skills and expertise with fresh thinking, new ideas and creative solutions, can help you take a new approach. Here’s how…
Create an engaging experience
Over the past few years, a lot has happened in the events industry and the business world.
Brexit, economic turbulence, political uncertainty and the small matter of a global pandemic all conspired to change the way people look at events.
As a result, event audiences – whether delegates or exhibitors – no longer want to turn up just to sell or be sold to. Instead, there’s a growing demand for conferences, expos and trade shows to deliver engaging and memorable content while providing more valuable networking, exhibition and sales opportunities.
If the past three years have taught us anything, it’s that time is the most precious commodity of all.
So, if brands are going to invest lots of their time – and money – in exhibiting at an event, and delegates are going to give up a working day to visit, they expect value in return.
Against that backdrop, the experience you create for your exhibitors – and, in turn, their visitors – must be exceptional. In these circumstances, shell scheme probably isn’t going to cut it.
So, as an event organiser, it’s time to rethink your approach. But you may not have the in-house expertise or resources to do things differently, which makes working with an outsourced events partner like Exhibit Interactive essential. Some of the benefits include:
Creativity and innovation
One of the biggest challenges facing event organisers in the current climate is meeting the ever-changing aspirations of exhibitors and visitors.
As we said earlier, people attending events these days want something valuable in return for their time and effort. Keeping ahead of the curve when all you’ve ever done is the same thing, year after year, can be tricky.
Although you may start every event you plan full of good ideas, bringing them to life can be arduous, especially if the venues you work with also only like to do things a certain way.
Working with an outsourced events partner can bring a different energy and a fresh, objective perspective to your event planning to help you see and think about things differently and show you how to achieve them.
A specialist events design agency may also have access to resources and technology beyond your reach – such as affordable, bespoke system stands – which you can offer to your exhibitors to bridge the gap between traditional shell scheme and larger exhibition spaces.
Break away from the shell
As we hinted above, an outsourced events partner can help event organisers break away entirely from the confines of the traditional shell scheme approach.
An agency like ourselves can provide a more attractive alternative to shell scheme, giving you greater control over your events’ layout, look and feel. We can help you change how your exhibition floor is configured and managed, so you can create a free-flowing space that facilitates more effective networking, interaction and engagement.
This approach can also remove the hassle and cost of setting up a shell scheme, helping you offer a different proposition to exhibitors that enables them to be more creative and create more memorable experiences for their target audiences.
And if you’re looking to create a better way of exhibiting for smaller businesses with limited budgets, a solution like Exhibit Cube is perfect. It’s a cost-effective proposition that works for branded events, exhibitions and conferences of all sizes, enabling you to create an exhibition area within a welcoming and engaging open space.
A more visceral events experience
Nothing can justify a dull, drab and boring shell scheme in this day and age, especially when you can create a bespoke exhibition area that delights your exhibitors and delegates instead.
So, if you’re looking to level up your events and provide a more attractive proposition to your exhibitors, then stepping away from shell scheme is the way to go.
An outsourced events partner can help you design and create cost-effective smart system solutions to help you ensure your next event is a massive success for your exhibitors and visitors.
System stands are robust, flexible and affordable. You can enhance them with bespoke finishing touches like custom lighting, LED technology, audio-visual elements, furniture, flooring and graphic design to give your next event a premium feel without a premium price tag.
They are usually built with reusable display system components and fully recyclable tension fabric graphics, so they’re sustainable, reusable and create less waste.
Stay on-budget
An outsourced events partner will work closely with you and your team to create an exhibition area which utilises the available space and allows your sponsors, partners and exhibitors to showcase their businesses, products and services in the best light.
Using modular system stand solutions instead of shell scheme can help event organisers maximise their investment over the long term. These solutions provide a speedy, sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional shell scheme systems, helping you deliver a memorable event experience without breaking the bank. What’s not to love?
Keep your exhibitors happy
While keeping within budget is probably your primary concern, delivering value to your exhibitors and keeping them happy is likely a close second. An outsourced events partner will liaise with your exhibitors to incorporate their artwork and branding within the overall design to keep everything consistent and ensure it makes the right visual impact.
Exhibit Interactive has worked in the live events industry for a long time. We have a wealth of experience in helping organisers by designing and building sustainable stands that drive engagement and offer your audiences something different, unique and exciting.
For example, at a recent show, we worked closely with the organiser on ten client stands. While all were different in terms of look and feel, we took care of everything from concept and design to building and logistics.
The exhibitors loved what we did – one of them even won an award for best stand – while the organiser was happy because that was ten stands and ten clients they didn’t have to worry about on the day.
Think about how much easier your life would be if you had an events partner to pick up some – or most – of the stress involved in organising a trade show or expo. Tempting, right?
It all starts with a conversation
If you’re an event organiser looking to do things differently, we can help you rethink your approach. We can look after some – or all – aspects of your event delivery to ensure it’s immersive, engaging and inspiring while ensuring that any exhibition or breakout areas look the part too.
So, if you’re looking to level up your events and provide a more attractive proposition to your exhibitors, we can help. When you work with us, everyone wins. To find out how, give us a call today.
