During the economic downturn many trade shows suffered from the inevitable reduction in marketing spend among companies and organisations. However, in order to combat a downturn, many experts will argue that strong sectors need to push forward and build on their standing. That’s why in 2009, organisers of the inaugural Aero Engineering Show decided that the time was right to launch.
Ian Stone, Managing Director and Co-Owner of UK Tech Events Ltd, explained the thinking behind the initial launch.
“The plan was to build a cluster of inter-related shows that would reflect the major building blocks of the UK’s advanced engineering capabilities. Throughout the dip in the economy that we all experienced, UK companies continued to be world leaders in advanced engineering. The UK has the second largest aerospace engineering industry in the world, and having attended airshows like Farnborough and Paris, I realised that the industry one step below the ones exhibiting at shows like that didn’t have their own events. Those shows focus on the finished products and not the engineering layers beneath them.”
The first show, held at the Manchester Central venue, was well received. It prompted an immediate announcement from the organisers that they would expand the event for 2010, creating The Composite Engineering Show that would run alongside the existing show but in the new location of Birmingham’s NEC Pavilion.
“We knew it would be a good marriage”, said Ian. “Both industries work very closely with one another, so it was a very natural expansion that offered increased opportunities for exhibitors and visitors.”
In the subsequent two years the event continued to both develop its ‘group of shows’ dimension with subsequent phased introductions into the Printable (Plastic) Electronics sector and in 2012 the hugely significant launch of the Automotive Engineering Show, reflecting the UK’s resurgence as a centre of development and world class manufacturing across the vehicle sector, including the key low carbon vehicle industries.
The event group, as it built in size and complexity, had to adapt in terms of using the flexibility of the NEC’s multiple hall assets, moving in 2011 from the Pavilion, to Hall 12, then in 2012 into Hall 1 for yet another record growth show.
Some of the UK’s most advanced and high-profile engineering is on display at the shows.
The 2013 event will see them uproot once again, this time to the premier Hall 5 at the NEC, as they again welcome in a ‘latest’ show stream, this time the ‘Auto Electronics Show’, adding further to the event’s automotive sector credentials. With five shows being operated as an opportunity to research five different yet closely linked industries, Event Industry News asked Ian how they approach producing the floor plan for the event.
“An attendee to an event like ours falls predominantly in to two categories”, said Ian. “They will either come with a narrow agenda or with an interest in looking at the broader sweep of the technology on show. This means we have to create very specific mechanisms for guiding visitors to their ‘primary’ areas of interest or expertise, but at the same time encourage spontaneous inroads into the variety of complimentary technology and partner streams that are situated in neighboring show zones. There are five show yes!, but across the wider event floor, a huge amount more complimentary relevance for any attendee, in both exhibits and presentation and feature material – so ultimately we have to be ‘bigger than the sum of our parts’.”
Innovating for Innovators
It is fair to say that the shows attract visitors and companies that are at the cutting edge of innovation within their sectors. As a show organiser, EIN asked how Ian makes sure that the shows also using the latest innovations to stay at the cutting edge of event organisation?
“To date our priority has been to put efforts in to the database and build our audience information”, said Ian. “We’ve developed our own closed Facebook style system for people to network in advance of the shows, which has been a big success. We want to encourage people to arrive at the show with meetings scheduled and presentation sessions marked. In doing so, their visitor experience will be improved and the exhibitors will have gained more from their investment. If you can deliver on these two elements then you’re arguably covering the two most fundamental aspects of a trade show.”
The organisers also produce a series of online promotional easy-editable templates that are accessible to exhibitors and allow them to invite their own guests to the show using fully branded material. Something that Ian cites as being ‘absolutely key’ is the relationship with industry and media partners. The overall event has more than 70 of them this year, covering both broader and more niche aspects of the shows and helping to market their content.
Having gone through an aggressive period of expansion which has established the Advanced Engineering UK group of events within the marketplace, the organisers are confident that their current home in Hall 5 can contain their immediate ambitions.
“This year has seen a 40% year-on-year increase in pre-registration”, said Ian. “However, the current hall still has room available and with the excellent site access at the NEC we’re able to limit the whole thing to a two day build. The industries that are represented by our shows continue to flourish and maintain their position at the forefront of the engineering sectors they serve. This only bodes well for the future of our shows.”
