Specsavers at the
BAA Conference
The Client
Specsavers is a much-loved British retail chain that provides eye care services, glasses, contact lenses and hearing care.
Founded in Guernsey in 1984, it has grown into one of the largest optical retailers in the world. It has over 2,000 stores across the UK, Ireland, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, operating through a partnership model where its store directors own shares in their branches.
Specsavers combines professional eye care services with affordable eyewear. Beyond eye care, it has expanded into hearing services and home visits for those unable to visit its stores.
The Project
We’ve worked with Specsavers on several projects over the past few years.
For our latest collaboration, it tasked us with creating a bespoke exhibition stand with reusable elements to help it showcase its new Hearing Health Report at the British Academy of Audiology’s 20th Annual Conference at the Telford International Centre. The event gave exhibitors and visitors the chance to see the latest innovations in hearting technology and stay up to date with industry developments.
As part of this project, we also created an interactive touchscreen display to help Specsavers launch the Hearing Health Report at a special parliamentary reception at the House of Commons, which Yasmin Qureshi MP hosted.
The report brings together new data and insight to get commissioners, policymakers, service providers and professionals talking about hearing and give them a better understanding of the hidden impacts of hearing loss.
Our Client Services Director, Chris, who wears a hearing aid, featured as a case study in support of the report, and attended the launch on our behalf.
The Solution
For the parliamentary launch, we created a simple, branded totem display with an interactive touchscreen on each side showing delegates the regions where Specsavers has audiology services, which help take pressure off local GPs.
For the conference, our solution was a stunning, branded bespoke arch that bridged the centre of the exhibition space. It had LED screens featuring content from the Hearing Health Report on its columns’ exteriors. Inside, it had interactive touchscreens promoting development opportunities for any visitors interested in Specsavers’ audiology services.
The stand also featured a custom-built, interactive ‘Game of Domes’ activity, which challenged visitors to see who had the fastest fingers to change the tubing and domes on a hearing aid. The three quickest delegates each won a video otoscope for their store.
The stand also incorporated reusable elements from previous shows, including its bespoke overhead banner, furniture and lighting options. Like with all the stands we work on, we took care of all the on-site logistics on behalf of the client so its team could focus on engaging with visitors.
The Impact
Our creative solutions made a huge splash at both events. At the House of Commons reception, our totem displays effectively showcased Specsavers’ extensive audiology network to key policymakers.
Meanwhile, at the BAA conference, our striking branded arch became a focal point for the whole event, drawing consistent crowds over the two days. The innovative ‘Game of Domes’ proved remarkably successful, creating buzz and friendly competition while giving Specsavers colleagues the chance to show off their practical skills.
And the digital displays generated meaningful conversations with healthcare professionals about the insights highlighted by the Hearing Health Report.
Overall, the stand’s combination of interactive elements and professional presentation helped Specsavers achieve its goal of stimulating essential discussions about hearing health and service provision.
Testimonial
“Chris and the team at Exhibit Interactive were great to work with from day one. They are professional, personable and supportive. They really listened to our brief and the plan we had for our messaging and came back with some brilliant creative options for us.
“I was impressed with the solutions, and when it came to actioning those designs, everything seemed to happen seamlessly.
“They kept us up to date with stand-build developments, and the communication from Ei throughout the project has been excellent.”
Sally Willis
Head of Partner Attraction – Audiology, Specsavers