Latest trends in the world of Exhibitions!
Article / Sources: Diederik Haitink, Director EA Exhibitions / Tom Hall, Editor Exhibition world / Exhibit Concepts
To make a success of your exhibition event, the right visitor audience needs to be reached, become engaged and feel inspired to connect with others around and during the event.
Exhibitors should be able to focus and feel inspired to proudly show and tell about their business, from their own strategically chosen branded environment.
Nowadays the sky is the limit when it comes to (technological) solutions that support the realization of an exhibition or enhance its visitors’ experience.
Think of IT or design solutions for; promotion online, the process of registration, AV presentation, networking and connecting, live brand activation, the development of the individual booths, etc. You name it, anything is possible!
It is vital to be up to date about the latest trends, innovations and possibilities in this field.
In this article we like to share the latest trends and innovations with you. Based on what we see and experience in our worldwide work and online research.
Strategy first!
Rather than approaching each event on the exhibition calendar as an isolated project, we believe a new approach is taking over. Marketing is recognizing the value of taking a holistic, strategic approach to the entire calendar of events and campaigns. More like a program. However, a successful program isn’t simply about organizing the show calendar into tiers to maximize spend and effectiveness. It is also about aligning different elements of the marketing plan so that they work in synergy with each other.
Another major trend picking up steam is the ‘blurring of the lines’ between historically separate event formats like exhibitions, congresses, and conferences – this will continue and intensify. Many of the fastest growing business events currently are managed driven by a need from digital communities to meet in person face to face. Hybrid formats have evolved – part festival, past conference, part exhibition. In addition, more and more entertainment elements are blending into B2B events as well, as they adapt to changing audiences. As hybrid business events thrive, we will see more collaboration, maybe already mergers, between new organisers, established association congresses and exhibition organisers to match these developments.
Visitor Experience: engaging all the senses!
An exhibition can be a multi-sensory experience, rather than engaging only one or two senses. This goes well beyond typical hospitality. Think tactile elements like wood or cardboard, paired with beautiful sound, stunning lights, and a fragrance that sparks a beloved memory. While engaging all of the senses simultaneously could be overwhelming, finding different ways to pull out those unique elements isn’t—and can bring a space to life. Look for sights, sounds, smells, and experiences that wow in this category. Rather than starting with square footage and numbers of demo stations, the trend is to focus on the attendee and visitor experience first.
Technology; the sky is the limit
Like we said, nowadays the sky is the limit when it comes to (technological) solutions that support the realization of an exhibition or enhance its visitors’ experience.
From OLED monitors to projection mapping and AR, technology is evolving at a staggering pace. Projection mapping is a unique way to project imagery and light onto a static object, bringing it to life.
Light is an incredible tool, impactful both by its presence and absence. Finding new and creative ways to quite literally shine a light on products and spaces truly brings them to life. Look for exhibitors to dim the lights so products offerings are the star of the show or even turn them up with unique lighting elements that make people say, “How did they do THAT?” This is a fun (and often not overly costly) way to bring a unique element into a booth that captures attention and draws people in for a closer look.
Data, data, data
We see a continuous rise in the volume of data and shift towards digitization. We know that, globally, CEOs in our industry are focusing their organic investments and attention increasingly on two areas: on building new business models for a data driven marketing environment, and on future proofing the existing, square meter based, business models through new products. In parallel, investments in existing products will be reduced. UFI’s Digitization Index shows that, as an industry, we have begun to digitize ourselves – a simple necessity if we want to stay relevant for companies who are building complex solutions to directly interact with their consumer customers, cutting out whole segments of the traditional value chain.
Here at EA Exhibitions we monitor these kinds of innovations and developments closely. To make sure our service proposition stays adequate and up to date towards new needs and insights!
Sources: Diederik Haitink, Director EA Exhibitions / Tom Hall, Editor Exhibition world / Exhibit Concepts
