A Question of Price

Stand construction specialists today are in high-demand, not because of their obvious ability to provide and implement high-quality work but mainly due to their expertise as strategic consultants. Due to various changes in our industry, the role of guiding customers through the thicket of trade fairs is much more demanding and time-consuming that it was ten years ago.

In terms o f both technology and content, stand concepts have become highly-complex with increasing safety requiremen ts, and the tendency towards later project requests with shortened project cycles, currently present formidable challenges to those charged with executing trade fair appearances.

The Early Involvement Factor

Developing credible and competent consultation skills is not only about content-related expertise, it also takes time. “Our consulting work starts long before the cons truction planning. Early Involvement is an integral part of our business model, explains Ralf Thomas Becker; director of sales and project management at mac messeund ausstellungs cen ter Service GmbH in Langenlonsheim. “At the beginning of trade fair planning we check that stand building and communications concepts are matching and advise our customers to choose the better option.”

Human resources as a basis for consultancy competence

In ligh t of the aforementioned challenges of shorter set-up times, the tendency of ever-later customer inquiries and the increased complexity of the trade fair construction concepts, the advice of an experienced trade fair company, is now, more than ever, essential. “It takes staff with many years of experience, and it is also important to build a team with a broad portfolio of skills,” says Atelier Damböck’s managing director, Simon Damböck. “Effective consulting cannot be truly implemented by a project manager alone. It must be the principal function of a trade fair company, on par with any customer service initiative.”

Community Interest Work

Time and time again, construction planning is included too late in the project organization. When the expertise of the Realization specialst is used too late, so he can only act as a last second “fire extinguisher”— the cost is often nerves and money. In order to keep this situation from continually happening, Damböck urges the entire industry to strengthen our position as trade fair experts by focusing less on internal management policies and more on communicating this message in the interest of the general trade f air community.

Associations as an Industry Backbone

In terms of promoting the general interest of our community, associations assume an important role in representing the indus try as a neutral party with a megaphone, and an ever-presen t finger on the pulse of the industry. Individual companies are less vulnerable with the help of associations.

An association can strengthen the industry as a whole by giving it a backbone. It needs this sovereignty to be per ceiv ed no t so much by its implementation but rather for its ability to provide competent advice to stakeholders in the industry.

Alternative House Fairs

The exhibitors have the leverage over trade fairs and can use their influence to use shorter construction times as a means of raising profits. If this develops into a trend, Olivier Morlon, CEO of i.xpo, from Kaarst nearby Düsseldorf, predicts that some exhibitors will sooner or later refrain from participating in trade fairs and instead switch to presentation formats such as in-house exhibitions.

More Industry Awareness

Damböck demands more self-confidence from stand construction stakeholders, “We should not hide our light under a bushel. We should show and explain the full talents and abilities that we possess. If every stand con s truc tion c ompany begins to simply look like a communica tion agency, this undermines are credibility. Because only when there is trust in the competency of our consulting will costs cease to be the main topic within the customer discussion.