What to Think About While Working With UK Trade Shows International Event Companies
You would think working with global event companies will make UK trade shows easier to manage. Sometimes yes. However, it can also make everything a bit more complicated and costly than what it should be.
The term International Event Company can mean a lot of different things. It can be a large organisation with offices around the globe. In can also mean a small group of individuals with a good network. It can also mean a good conference event planner, but with no experience in building exhibition stands.
They need experience specifically in exhibit logistics.
Corporate functions and trade shows are very different. Organising a product launch dinner is very different from a building a 6×3 booth at the NEC. They are different practices and skills.
Ask them directly. Have they ever handled exhibition stands in the UK? Not “events”, but trade shows with logistics involved. Shell scheme vs. space only. Load in times. Electrical breakdown. In the UK, venues have different rules about what can or cannot be hung from the ceiling.
When a company mentions “event production” without going into details, you should probably be a bit concerned. There are so many details involved when it comes to exhibition logistics and it is a tedious and unglamorous process. The good companies have this knowledge down to a fine science.
Local knowledge actually matters.
This is one area international companies fail on and it is understandable to a degree. They may be brilliant and have a great reputation in Singapore or Dubai, but they have no knowledge on how UK Venue logistics function and they do not have pre-established relationships with UK contractors. You are spending a lot of money and essentially allowing them to bring their novice ideas.
The best companies have UK based employees or have strong local partnerships. Not just some random person they pulled off of Google, but regular contractors that they have worked with. You really do need relationships because when it is 7 pm and the graphics get delivered with massive damage, you are going to need someone who knows a local printer that can do the work last minute.
Make sure to ask who they are actually using. If they respond with something like “we will get the best local partners for you” be aware that they are going to be figuring things out on the fly.
Communication shouldn’t be hard work
When you are in the US or Asia and they are coordinating everything in the UK. Communication becomes core. Time zones, response times, and problem-handling are all things that matter more than they normally do for a local event.
Over-communication is a good sign. Unsolicited updates, pictures of the stand while it is being built, and warnings of possible issues before they become problems. They understand that you can’t pop in and check on things, so they make sure you know.
Watch how they communicate in the pitching process. If getting straightforward answers is hard before they have your money, it’s not going to get harder afterwards.
They should push back on bad ideas
I know this sounds counterintuitive, but the best event companies don’t just say yes to everything. If your stand design is sure to not work in UK venues, they should tell you. If your timeline is unreasonable, it shouldn’t be ignored until it’s too late.
International companies sometimes have expectations imported from other markets that do not apply to the UK. A good, UK-experienced event firm will save you from costly mistakes by being honest about what works here and what doesn’t.
Watch out for companies too, that provide a quote in their own currency and then become vague on the issue of currency exchange rate protection. Without a proper strategy managed, currency exchanges can be a significant issue on your final costs.
The Track Record is more Important than Marketing
Having hi-tech websites and flashy client logos does not mean much. Specifically, ask for references who worked with trade shows in the UK. Focus on those clients. Instead of asking what went well, ask what went wrong; every trade show has issues, what matters is how it was resolved.
A good international event company often isn’t the biggest or the flashiest. They are the best because they are the most experienced. They can tell the difference between what is truly needed versus what is just necessary fluff. They never promise perfection. Instead, they promise strong reliability, which is what really matters at a trade show.