Nadia Cameron looks at several targeted exhibitions currently attracting a new breed of exhibitors and how other organisers can tap into new exhibitor pools.
Exhibitors are always searching for ways to improve their standing at a live event.giveaways. For many, initiatives to ensure attention consist of custom-build stands and enticing giveaways on the show floor, through to incentives for pre-registration delegates.
For several however, seeking exhibitions outside their core sector to display their wares has become a clever way to find new buyers and stand out from the crowd.
Exhibition manager for the upcoming Dive Show 2010, Richard Thompson, said he'd witnessed an increase in non-traditional exhibitors, or companies outside the diving vertical, looking to participate in the NEC Birmingham-based event, and claimed the number of traditional diving-related exhibitors dropped five per cent in recent years. The event takes place 30-31 October. Although aimed at delivering new products and services specific to diving enthusiasts and professionals, those now buying a stand include tool and general gadget sellers, as well as promotions companies and timeshare-type service providers.
“Many of these are companies that take part in a wide range of events on a regular basis, so we will be just one of many consumer shows they target,” Thompson said.
Operations director at David Hall Publishing, Roger Mortimer, is seeing similarly unthought-of exhibitors expressing interest in the longstanding Evesham Festival, held every August bank holiday at Hampton Ferry in Worcestershire. Begun as an invitation fishing match 25 years ago, the event has grown into a three-day fishing and angling show with an attendance of 48,000. The show includes a craft marquee.
In addition to some 20 fishing tackle retailers and manufacturers, a selection of “non-core” exhibitors participated this year, including the Snowdonia Cheese Company, aquarium manufacturer Iquarium, and holiday park reseller, Allens Caravans. The Royal National Lifeboat Institute also attended for the first time in 2010, along with an arm of the Irish Tourist board and the Scottish Tourist Board.
Mortimer said it hadn't specifically adjusted the show strategy, and attributed the broadening exhibitor base to its location and date. He pointed out the event was covered in advance by the BBC Midlands Today programme and three local radio stations.
“There's huge potential for 'non-core' exhibitors and the attendance closely resembles a 'fair game'