Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013

CES is one of the largest shows in the world. Hosted by the Consumer Electronics Association in Las Vegas, the gambling mecca of the world, it’s no surprise that CES showcases all latest gadgets!

Have you heard of the phablet, the phonelet, the tweener or the super smartphone?  Neither had I… but they’ll all be household concepts before too long!

Forget HD TVs… this year’s CES is all about Ultra HD TVs.  Imagine a television with four times the resolution of regular HD!  But, don’t get too exited.  These TVs have to be at least 60 inches wide to notice the difference.  Technology is advancing faster than the human eye can keep up!

CES-Show-Exhibition-Stand

All very fascinating, but I’m far more interested in the trends which are emerging in exhibition stand design.  Exhibitors spend a lot of money to attend CES.  Consequently, it’s important to stand out from the crowd.  Many of the exhibitors are opting for a modular approach.  Modular exhibition stands are easy to assemble, open plan and very eye catching.

Our own modular exhibition stands have been designed with such flexibility in mind.  From small panel displays to large 200m2 conference platforms, our modular stands allow organisation to scale their exhibition presence as required.  Our own CROSSwire and TRUSSwire platforms have won international awards for their strength, durability and flexibility.

200m2 Exhibition Stands is a leading UK provider of exhibition services.  By helping our clients to develop the right exhibition strategy, 200m2 helps organisations to maximise return on investment. Get in touch to find out more.

Exhibition Tips: Reasons for attending exhibitions

There is one very important question that I always ask my customers and it is a very simple one.

“Why are you attending this exhibition or trade fair?”

Exhibition Tips from 200m2

Here are some of the wrong reasons to attend:

  • Our competitors will be exhibiting (this is also sometimes offered as a reason for not going!)
  • We want the exposure
  • We’re running one of the seminar sessions
  • We always go to that exhibition or trade fair
  • People will notice if we don’t have a stand
  • We’re going in order to show support for our trade organisation
  • We’ll meet all our colleagues from around the country / world
  • Because the show is in Honolulu!
  • It helps maintain our image
  • It offers an opportunity to train new sales staff

So, here is my exhibition tip of the day!  There are only three PRIMARY reasons to attend an exhibition or trade fair:

  1. To make new sales
  2. To make appointments
  3. To make new contacts

There are also a number of SECONDARY reasons:

  1. To raise awareness of your product service
  2. To do some market research
  3. To do some industry research
  4. To introduce new products/services to the market
  5. To recruit staff/agents/distributors

Importantly, these ‘secondary’ reasons never justify the cost of attending an exhibition in isolation.  But it’s surprising how many companies base their decisions on whether or not to attend an exhibition on the wrong factors.

As one of the UK’s leading exhibition services providers, we add value by helping our clients to target the right exhibitions and for the right reasons.  Get in touch to find out how 200m2 can help your business.

Exhibiting Technology: The urine powered generator!

The Maker Faire is a well known event across the African continent, drawing thousands of participants who travel to Lagos to exhibit their inventions and other practical creations. Four African girls showed off a generator that produces electricity for six hours using a single liter of urine as fuel. The generator was unveiled at last week’s Maker Faire in Lagos, Nigeria.

How does the urine-powered generator work?

  • Urine is put into an electrolytic cell, which separates out the hydrogen.
  • The hydrogen goes into a water filter for purification, which then gets pushed into the gas cylinder.
  • The gas cylinder pushes hydrogen into a cylinder of liquid borax, which is used to remove the moisture from the hydrogen gas.
  • This purified hydrogen gas is pushed into the generator.

Just remember to look the other way during refueling!

All jokes aside, I am a big advocate of inventions which have a positive impact on the environment and the creatures that live in it.  That’s why we only promote exhibition stand solutions which are durable, save space and easy to transport… thereby saving on transport costs.  What’s more we always use environmentally friendly inks when we print display panels for our modular exhibition stands.

To find out more about our environmental credientials, why not get in touch!  As one of the leading exhibition services companies in the UK, we look forward to hearing from you.

Exhibition Strategy: The Future

The Guardian’s Media Network (GMN) is a forum for people in the exhibition industry that are interested in exhibition strategy. When you think that ‘exhibitions’ are just one line item on a marketing budget, an organisation’s exhibition strategy must be integrated within the wider marketing mix.  The Guardian’s Media Network connects globally-minded marketing professionals who are looking for content, contacts and connections that will give them the edge with their exhibition strategy.

The area of events, conferences and exhibitions was at the centre of the debate on GMN earlier this month.  Specifically, the debate focused on events and exhibition strategy and whether business to business media will be venturing further in.  Furthermore, if B2B media were to get more involved within events and exhibitions, how can they get people to pay to attend exhibitions?  In addition, how could they encourage businesses to pay to exhibit?

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The debate raised many interesting points.  Firstly, there was general agreement that there is a lot of scope for publishers and B2B media to become much more involved in the exhibitions, conference and events space.   The consensus is that ‘Face to Face’ (F2F) engagement with a brand is key to a good exhibition strategy.   Furthermore, when visitors attend a conference or exhibition they expect to be sold to.  Consequently, brands are looking for new ways to engage with visitors and improve the visitor experience.

Digital engagement is the new buzz phrase in the exhibitions industry because it is helping organisations to enhance rather than replace human interaction.  Social media and its use both before and after an event is becoming more important in the measuring the success of a particular event.

Another trend is emerging it seems.  Within the events arena, more and more B2B publishers and conference organisers are investing in smaller scale events as a strategic tool.  Mini exhibitions are being used more and more to bridge the gap between a handful of pop up stands and the huge financial commitment of launching a full scale exhibition.

Our own modular exhibition stand range has been designed with such flexibility in mind.  From small panel displays to large 200m2 conference platforms, our modular exhibition stand solution allows organisation to scale their exhibition presence as required.  We have carefully considered our clients requirements and have a clear exhibition strategy with  CROSSwire and TRUSSwire, these solutions have proved this and won international awards for their strength, durability and flexibility.

200m2 Exhibition Stands is a leading UK provider of exhibition services.  By helping our clients to develop the right exhibition strategy, 200m2 helps organisations to maximise their return on investment. Get in touch to find out how 200m2 can you fine tune a strategy which mitigates risk and reduces costs.