Embracing the Return of Exhibition Season
It’s that time of year when invitations start landing in our inboxes for the exhibition season. We all know that these dates are an essential addition to the calendar when working in the events industry and it’s so wonderful that face to face networking is well and truly back post pandemic – hospitality is ALL about people and connections and I for one, couldn’t be happier to be back out there meeting my peers in person and not over Zoom all the time.
Staying Updated in a Fast-Paced Industry
It may be a cliché but people really do buy from people and one of the best things for me about attending exhibitions is the opportunity to meet with a wide range of venues, hotels and suppliers all under one roof and in a relaxed setting. Not only am I able to discuss potential enquiries and learn about hotel/venue refurbishments but it also allows me to see what’s trending in our industry; it’s often difficult to keep up to date with changes and this gives me an opportunity to bring myself up to speed and then share the latest via my webinars.
Collaboration and Discussion: Beyond Just Networking
For me exhibition season also presents an opportunity to collaborate with my industry peers and more recently, take part in panel discussions and forums. I was delighted to be invited to attend the Unique Venues of London Event Agent panel at the Houses of Parliament. We discussed hot topics such as agent commission, sustainability and event technology and how certain trends are impacting our industry. I also recently attended the BNC show at The HAC which is always a great opportunity for me to network and keep up-to-date with the changes in the ever-changing London market – this show proudly markets itself as ‘the show eventprofs recommend’ and has grown over the years to be a firm fixture in my calendar.
CHS Birmingham: A Must-Attend Exhibition
Next month sees CHS Birmingham take place at the ICC and this is also always a firm date in my diary; as well as being able to meet the very best hotels, venues, destinations and event suppliers from the UK and Europe, they also run a fabulous education programme which provides the perfect opportunity to learn from industry experts on a whole range of topics linked to personal and professional development. I have been asked to run some ‘in person’ educational sessions in their PA Lounge where I shall be sharing new/unique venues as well as going back to basics and cutting through some of the jargon used in our industry. There’s still time to register to attend – head to https://hello-chs.com/birmingham/pa-lounge/ for more information.
Mapping Out the Upcoming Exhibition Calendar
As for the remainder of 2023 and looking ahead to 2024, the UK exhibition calendar below might just be of some help when working out which industry exhibitions you may want to attend, and I may well see you in person at one of them soon!
Preparing for 2023-2024 Industry Exhibitions
