MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convetion, Exhibition)

As with any organised event which involves schedules and deadlines, the planning and execution of an exhibition takes a lot of coordination and dedication in order for it to be successful. There are various steps that need to be completed in order for the exhibition to run smoothly, the majority of which are based around the exhibition planning team and coordinator. Exhibitions are primarily aimed at sharing something with a wider community, be it art, motor vehicles, music technology or lingerie. It is therefore essential that the aim and vision of the exhibition be clear and precise, in order to reach the target audience with full effect.

Steps in the preliminary planning of an exhibition should include:

* Setting up of an Exhibition Planning Committee.

* Accurate Budget Planning.

* Selection of an appropriate site venue.

* Negotiating agreements and contracts with all the necessary parties.

* Sourcing exhibitors and/or speakers relevant to the theme of the exhibition.

* Planning the program

* Executing the exhibition plan

The first and most logical step in exhibition planning is assembling a team of people who have the necessary skills and experience. Optimally these people should all be great team players, who can work responsibly and on their own initiative, whilst also carrying other people’s interests at heart. It is good practice to make the size of your planning committee relevant to the scale of your exhibition. Having an understaffed committee can lead to stress and half completed work, while an oversized committee will lead to a lack of organisation and indecisiveness.

Once you have assembled your team, the next step is to appoint an exhibition coordinator. This role requires a great amount of responsibility, as most of the executive decisions will come down to the coordinator’s discretion. You will need somebody with good organisational skills, is a good communicator of ideas, has a great eye for detail and can function well under stressful situations. Depending on the size of your exhibition, it might be necessary for the coordinator to appoint administrative staff or a secretary to deal with the extra administrative and clerical tasks.

An exhibition budget should be prepared through a thoughtful process involving the sponsor, planning committee and coordinator. The coordinator should be in full control of the budget, for if payments are approved by someone other than the coordinator, it will be difficult to hold him/her accountable for expenditures. A budget should not be seen as a financial document, but rather as a planning and management control document. It is a listing of all anticipated expenses, funding sources and projected revenue. Part of preparing a conference budget requires compiling a split folio. This is a division of expenses which lists the charges covered by the conference master account and individual guest charges, if there are to be any.

One of the most important aspects in planning an exhibition is choosing a suitable venue. This should be arranged as early in the planning process as possible in order to avoid any last minute nightmares. The more time you give yourself to choose a site, the better your options will be. Your site should be located as centrally as possible with regards to your target audience. It is pointless having a textiles exhibition in the central business district, just is it is pointless having a technology fair in the countryside. Choosing the appropriate venue also has an influence on the overall theme and furnishings which you might use in your exhibition, so an early decision will make consequent planning more streamlined.

It is generally regarded good practice to enter into a formal contract agreement with the venue. The process of reaching this agreement may take time, but it will ensure that both parties will be protected against any unexpected changes in plan. It would be dreadful to be notified one week before the exhibition that you have been double booked because no formal documents were signed and the venue manager completely forgot about the conversation you had over the specified dates. It is also important to remember that negotiations should be handled professionally, as both parties want to gain maximum benefit from any arrangement.

Setting an appropriate theme for the show is very important, as it will eventually determine what image the public have of the exhibition. Choose one that is in line with the material you are exhibiting. An ‘under the sea’ experience will not bode well with potential invitees to a car show, but will perhaps draw more attention if used to market an exhibition on new children’s toys or a pet show.

Next in the planning process is finding potential exhibitors to take part in your show. Sending out personal invitations is probably the most effective way to go. You can also advertise your intention to hold an exhibition in the early planning months, but this needs to be done amongst the social or industry circles relevant to your kind of exhibition. As an exhibition is primarily about marketing, finding willing participants should not be too much of a problem if the proper methods are used. In addition, in fields such as music or art, where there is an abundance of people jostling to display there works, you might need to do a certain amount of vetting in order to make sure your exhibitors meet the exact criteria for your exhibition.

Ultimately you want to draw as many people to your exhibition as possible, and a sure-fire way of increasing the amount of interest in your show is to offer a diverse range of activities. Offering seminars or interactive workshops is a great marketing technique to involve people who would normally be put off by the prospect of just going to an exhibition to look at stuff. Be sure to source speakers who will be able to deliver dynamic presentations on the relevant topics.

Publicity is of utmost importance in the planning of an exhibition. Use as many channels as are accessible to you. The internet is a very powerful marketing tool, and should be exploited to its maximum. Make sure you have an up to date website which is instantly identifiable with your theme and purpose. Furthermore, make use of show invites and advertisements, promotional gifts, flyers, brochures, visitor and press packs, staff badges, stand backdrops and signage, and internal documents and communications. Ensure that your supporting web pages and email address are listed on every single communication item used for the show. If possible, advertise the exhibition in local magazines and newspapers, as well as radio.

Once you have done all your preparation of advertising, budgeting and sourcing participants, it is time to plan the actual show and execute it. Planning of the show plays an important role, and should be coordinated carefully, because once a schedule is formed, great confusion can result if it is not adhered to. You might plan certain talks or workshops to coincide with specific days of the exhibition, and if these are unclear or mixed up, they might completely lose there desired effect, and end up just being a waste of time and money. Changes are sometimes unavoidable, but make sure that if a change has to be made to the schedule, that it is well publicised. During the exhibition it is important to make good use of signs; this ensures that visitors and exhibitors never become disorientated with their surroundings. During the exhibition, the coordinator’s time is in great demand. Delegation plays a key role in the smooth running of an exhibition, but is worth nothing without a well trained and informed group of staff members.

Once the show is complete, conducting some kind of evaluation will be very valuable in giving you an idea of what can be improved on in future events. The most common type of evaluation is to create a survey form. This can consist of yes/no questions, or wherein the various levels of satisfaction can be indicated, from low to high. It is worth noting that two separate evaluation forms can be set up, one to delve the interests of the exhibitors, and the other that of the visitors.
And with that you have completed your exhibition! With the correct planning and dedication it can be an informative and exciting experience for all those concerned, and with the steps set out above you should have no problem achieving this.

This article has been provided by the Approved Index. They have created a directory of Approved Event Management Companies that are based in the UK. Use their free site to compare and request free quotes for your Exhibition Planning requirements.

Now that you have a rose garden you are proud of, it’s time to take the next step and let others see the beauty of your roses. Rose shows and exhibits are exciting events where you get a chance to see how your roses stack up against other rosarians’. It doesn’t matter if you win — the experience alone will be fun, and you’ll learn a lot.

Visit a Rose Show

Before entering your own roses, visit a few rose shows to see how everything works. If at all possible, get permission to enter the preparation room to see what experienced displayers do before the judging begins.

Get The Rule Book

Get a copy of the rule book from the American Rose Society. Visit their web site at www.ARS.org for more information.

When you decide you are ready, look for a show that’s close to home to limit your travel time and expenses. Many exhibits offer special judging classes for beginners, so try to find one of those for your first time.

Follow this timetable and you’ll be ready to face the judges on the day of your show:

30 Days Before The Show

It’s easiest to start with 1 single bloom on a stem, so select the 1 rose you will be showing. Be sure to pick a rose with a sturdy and straight stem.

Begin preparing the rose for exhibit by cutting off all of the buds that are forming on the side of the stem between the top and the leaf. This focuses all the nutrients to the single bloom at the end of the stem.

Support the cane of your selected rose by staking it with a bamboo stake and some rose or twist ties. This protects the cane and helps to support the rose as it grows.

Spray fungicide when needed, and promptly remove any aphids or spider mites. Aphids can be removed by spritzing with soapy water. Spider mites can be lightly sprayed with plain water.

Water your roses as you normally would, and apply organics and fertilizer as needed.

Put together your tool kit for the day of the show. Most experienced rosarians carry the following in their kits:

* American Rose Society Rule Book
* Shears
* Several soft cloths
* Cotton swabs (such as Q-Tips)
* Plastic wrap
* Small, soft artist’s paintbrush

7 Days Before The Show

Cover your selected bloom at night with a baggy that’s secured below the bloom with a tie. Remove the baggie before the sun rises in the morning. Do this every night until you leave for the show.

2 Days Before The Show

Cut the rose, with the stem a bit longer than usual, because you will be re-cutting it on the day of the show.

Place the rose in a florist’s bucket, cover the bloom with a baggie and tie it off below the bloom. Place the bucket and rose in the refrigerator.

Morning of The Show

Remove the rose from the refrigerator, place the container and rose safely in your car, grab your kit, and head for the show!

Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit grow-roses-now to learn more about this fascinating hobby.

Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

An exhibition may be broadly defined as a trade fair where various companies can showcase and demonstrate their newly launched and existing products in order to highlight their positive features to prospective customers. In an age where how well a product is marketed and campaigned about largely determines its commercial success, exhibitions are some of the major ways manufacturers and dealers can extensively market about their newly launched products. Unlike retail shops where products can be demonstrated only to a limited number of customers and prospective clients, since in an exhibition people from different regions all around a center come to view the products the number of visitors checking a company’s products is significantly higher.

In today’s corporate world of cut-throat competition, having a cutting edge over competitors within the same field is one of the most important tasks for a company to achieve. In an exhibition since numerous companies come together in order to market their products, designing and presenting resources and products in a unique, individual way in order to attract the attention of prospective clients is one of the major jobs before a company. Apart from manufacturing products marked with their own unique selling points (USP), they have to be presented at a trade fair in a manner most likely to catch the consumer’s eyes. For this reason, right from the basic structure of their exhibition stands to the smallest details of the interiors a company has to establish its stand in a unique way. While some companies assign their own creative departments to look into these designing matters, others often hire professional architects and interior designers for setting up their exhibition stands.

Interior designers dealing with setting up of exhibition stands usually operate in a series of successive steps. Once the basic design of an exhibition stand is decided upon, the infrastructure is set up in such a way that basic features like electric and water lines as well as safety measures and emergency exits are securely implemented. Workers then construct the outer structure out of the desired materials. Keeping the presentation factor in mind features like layout, shape, form and overall appearance are given primary importance while designing and setting up an exhibition stand. In order to attract the potential clientele some companies ask their architects and interior designers to implement various graphics and audio-visual features in their exhibition stands, others use various lighting schemes in order to create the desired atmosphere and interior environment. Companies may also opt for making proper arrangements for their customers to sit and relax and also arrange for various hot and cold beverages to be offered to their visiting clientele.

In order to make construction and other arrangement-making processes an easier job, many companies today like to buy ready-made exhibition set-up schemes directly from service providers. From carpets and walls to lightings and power points most of these packages include a large number of features. Although these packages make construction and set up of exhibition stands an overall easier job, since they are available ready-made at the market they can be accessed by a large number of companies at the same time. This not only loses the individual touch from a company’s exhibition stand get-up but also by making it no different from numerous others around, it loses the power of attracting prospective customers.

With the current trends where individuality matters most and caters best, the best bet for a company wanting to make its mark would be to employ professional designers for designing the structure and get-up of its exhibition stand. Most exhibition contractors, today, operate via small teams of interior designers who, once a project is explained to them, step by step implement all the details until the exact requirement is met. A company should first analyze its own unique motives and goals and based on these fundamental factors should design a plan with the help of exhibition contractors and designers. The basic layout of the whole project should be designed in such a way that the company’s individual goals are well met and simultaneously products are presented in a way best suiting the customers’ requirements. Whereas, some companies opt for building double-storey stand structures for better overall view, others prefer to keep theirs single storey.

As in other business dealings, in designing, structuring and carrying out an exhibition also the company should focus on simultaneously satisfying their customers and maximizing their financial profits and goodwill. Keeping all these factors in mind, deals should be settled with exhibition contractors for designing a company’s exhibition stands.

Once the specific requirements of a company are given, most exhibition contractors today, implement their programs by means of a large number of equipments and facilities. From designing the primary layout drawings and digitally preparing 3D CAD visualizations in full colors to detailing all the lighting, graphics and finishing touches exhibition contractors go about implementing their works in a series of meticulous steps. From constructing stands out of quality materials licensed by local regulations to installing fully functioning electric, telephone, internet, fax, water and waste lines, all necessary works are performed by exhibition contractors by their extremely efficient installation teams.

About Author:

Steve Brennen is a Director at Oakmace Ltd one of the United Kingdoms leading Exhibition Design and construction companies and has over twenty years experience in the exhibitions industry. For more details please visit www.oakmace.com

http://www.oakmace.com

You can hardly visit a trade show, convention or shopping mall in this country without seeing an absolutely amazing modular exhibition stand. The resources and creativity used by the makers of these masterpieces are seemingly endless, allowing their crafts and services to be utilized for purchasing (or renting) one of their designs to promote your own product or business.

Conducting research, comparing notes and trial and error were all formerly the best means for choosing the features you’d like to see in your modular exhibition stand. We’ve saved you the burden of this time consuming task, as I have compiled a list of items for you to consider before purchasing this all important addition to your portable advertising portfolio.

First and foremost, you will want your modular exhibition stand to be an attention grabber, standing out amongst the masses, just as you want your product or service to stand out within your industry. Originality is crucial to this process, so utilizing an expert design team to create your personalized product is, without a doubt, worth the investment. If you are renting an exhibition stand, the assistance of a professional to help you make the most of your arrangement will definitely yield positive results.

Another feature that falls closely in importance is the maneuverability of the components and its ease of transportation. The use of magnets and/or fabric is just a few of the options available to ease this sometimes tricky situation, especially if your cargo area is limited, for these materials will help to utilize your restricted space more effectively. Plus, lightweight fabrics and other materials are much easier to tote around from one location to another, whether you are moving it personally, or paying to have the pieces shipped across town, across the country, or across the globe.

Don’t forget about the flexibility of your modular exhibition stand! Here’s some food for thought: Have you ever gone to set up at a trade show, mall or other type of exhibition area only to find that your allowed space was either much more or much less than you anticipated? Having the flexibility to alter your exhibit falls into our number three spot, for portions that have the ability to stack on top of each other when necessary, “hide-a-way” components, or areas that can expand to fill a gap, are all vital to your cause.

Finally, safety is always a concern. Invest in snap-to-lock poles, strong and sturdy hardware that won’t tumble with a soft breeze, and materials that will withstand the test of time. Remember, you are spending your hard earned money on your modular exhibition stand, so be sure to utilize this form of advertising to the max, fulfilling every aspect of your presentation needs

JR Grueson recommends DiscountDisplays.co.uk for modular exhibition stands.