On Friday 23rd November, two of the Pontins Events team attended the Facetime Exhibition Masterclass, in association with AEO (Association of Event Organisers), which was held in the magnificent Excel London.
With an early start, Rachel and Simon were accompanied to London by several carriages of primary schools who seemed to be heading to the capital for a choir competition, and they were given exclusive access to some of the songs that were to be performed on stage.
The purpose of the day was to get some industry knowledge in organising and running a stand at an exhibition. With the Confex International Exhibition looming large on the horizon, the event gave them the opportunity to understand more of what is required to make the event a roaring success.
They were firstly given a motivation speech from Shed Simove, who has created many new products to market, is a best selling author and genuinely funny and engaging person. He helped to ensure that the four and a half hour journey did not affect the concentration.
Rachel and Simon were then introduced to the exciting and dynamic world of GDPR. The speaker gave some really good advice on what would be acceptable, ensuring that all businesses need to have a privacy statement, especially when coming to exhibitions.
Before they broke for lunch, they were given a presentation on stand building, on the pitfalls and good work practise, as well as ideas on how the stand will make an impact at the exhibition. This is something that was of particular interest, as the balance of cost and wow factor is playing heavily on Simon’s mind.
After a delicious lunch, provided by Excel London, we had another very uplifting presentation by Gavin Ingham, who’s keynote speech “I am 10 – Be More, Do More, Sell More” delved into the sales process, how we can make ourselves better, by developing new habits which deals at looking at the positives, and how we can improve our skills to be a 10. It was extremely inspiring and Rachel and Simon took alot away.
The final masterclass was on the importance of Social Media, which is something that is right up Rachel’s street. It gave great advice on the do’s and dont’s when promoting our participation at an exhibition. This needs to be launched in the two months before the event, and continue after, and not just for the two days. Keep a look out for our presence on social media in the coming weeks.
A long day was had, but the experience was invaluable and we will put all the advise into practise and we can’t wait to see you on our stand, G10C, on 26th and 27th February 2019 at London Olympia for some fun and games, and to learn more about how Pontins Events can be your event venue partner.
