The countdown to BIBA 2015

With only a few day to go before BIBA 2015 takes place, quite how this event comes around so quickly is one of life’s mysteries in the events calendar year. Manchester has become the spiritual home of BIBA and with it now having been there for the last two years, all attendees - both visitors and exhibitors - have really become familiar with the venue and this great city.

We are very happy to be supporting twenty clients again at this year’s event - some as part of their regular marketing plan and some as first-time exhibitors.  All have very different requirements and needs from their time spent at BIBA, but one common need is very much evident this year - maximising their return on investment and to lay ‘markers’ to evaluate the success of their participation.

Evaluating the success of a trade event is no easy task. In a service-based industry, where relationships are developed, nurtured and renewed over a longer period and where no single outcome is evident, attributing singular results to an event is not easy. But the fact is that they are an essential part of the year's ongoing communication with potential clients, a captive and immensely valuable market – and all in one hall. So how do you evaluate?

A balanced level of assessment can be made and measured, albeit varying to your own priorities and targets. This can be brand presence and exposure - data capture and footfall, entries to on-stand games and engagements, numbers of attendees at stand events such as drinks receptions, or a new product launch.

The focus for our clients this year varies depending on these criteria; from visually impactful stands that are very much brand-focused, to more themed designs where specific product pushes and demonstrations are being promoted, and to inviting spaces where welcoming receptions are planned – all of which make for some great designs which we are very much seeing come to life. And all of this in a 48-hour build time.

So the countdown is on, trucks are loaded, our team of nearly 100 including stand builders, AV specialists, project leaders, graphic installers, and film and camera crew are ready to go. Roll on BIBA 2015 and we look forward to seeing you in Manchester!