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We’ve been bringing people and experiences together for nearly a century. And in that time, we’ve learned something simple: the success of a show doesn’t rest on one big thing, but on hundreds of small ones.
Furniture doesn’t get much glory. Nobody leaves an exhibition saying, “The chairs were outstanding.” Yet every organiser knows: furniture makes or breaks the feel of a space.
The floor is the largest surface in any exhibition. It is also the most overlooked.
Ask any organiser what keeps them awake at night, and it isn’t (just) visitor numbers. It’s exhibitor emails.
Every exhibition has aisles, stands, and coffee queues. But what makes a show memorable are its feature areas - the theatres, lounges, demo zones, and registration spaces that give it shape and rhythm.
Sustainability used to be a line in the marketing deck. Today, it’s the question sponsors ask first, the requirement venues bake into contracts, and the standard visitors silently expect.
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Exhibitors love the freedom of a space only booth plot. A blank floor gives them control, ambition, and the chance to make a splash. But with freedom comes responsibility - and often, overwhelm.
Visitors see lights, stands, and packed aisles. Exhibitors see leads, meetings, and contracts. What nobody sees, but everybody relies on, is logistics.
Exhibitions are a paradox: they only last a few days, but they demand months of planning, dozens of moving parts, and hundreds of people all pulling (hopefully) in the same direction. Without project management, that paradox eats you alive.
Every great show starts with a modest stand. For first-time exhibitors, that stand is usually a shell scheme booth.
We’ve all been there. The show’s in full swing, the sales team is trying to rebook space for next year, and the floor plan is… somewhere. Maybe it’s printed. Maybe it’s in someone’s inbox. Maybe it’s already out of date.
Every organiser talks about sales, footfall, and experience – but none of those happen without a floor plan. It’s the foundation of your event, and it’s time to stop treating it as back-office admin.
Exhibitors don’t buy square metres of carpet. They buy the chance to be noticed, and the difference between being noticed and being ignored often comes down to graphics and enhancements.
If exhibitions were novels, graphics would be the punctuation. You notice when it’s missing. You really notice when it’s wrong.
Let’s be honest. The phrase “space only” sounds liberating to exhibitors - until they realise it’s code for “you’re on your own.” No walls. No branding. No plan. Just a patch of carpet (and sometimes, not even that).
Smart procurement for exhibitions made easy! Discover 10 essential tips for streamlined, sustainable, and cost-effective exhibition planning.
Setting up a face-to-face event might seem a daunting prospect at first. But it’s possible to facilitate a truly memorable and successful event with the right approach and preparation.
I’ve spent a large part of my career in the events industry, and another big chunk in financial services, covering roles both as event planner and, more recently, a sustainability professional. I joined GES at the end of last year, combing my passion and my experience to become Head of ESG.
I’ve spent a large part of my career in the events industry, and another big chunk in financial services, covering roles both as event planner and, more recently, a sustainability professional. I joined GES at the end of last year, combing my passion and my experience to become Head of ESG.
This month, in our quest to unearth new approaches to the world of events, we’re looking to the industry of sports hospitality.
For some, events are so much more than a simple career choice, it’s a deep-rooted passion, and one that has shaped not just their employment but also their education as well as their life choices.
This series is about learning from different people and different industries. Magpie-ing ideas and sharing them with our own community to create better events and experiences. In this edition we stray closer to home, touching on two key areas of the event world, food and sustainability.
As a market leader, we want to be the people that go out into the world to collect great ideas, and to share them with our peers. We start with Gill Tee.
One of the biggest factors seeing a resurgence across the events industry is accessibility. Over the last few years, with pandemics and the wider, equally urgent, conversations on sustainability and climate change, accessibility has taken a back seat. Now it needs to return.
Featured
Organizer Topics
We’ve been bringing people and experiences together for nearly a century. And in that time, we’ve learned something simple: the success of a show doesn’t rest on one big thing, but on hundreds of small ones.
Furniture doesn’t get much glory. Nobody leaves an exhibition saying, “The chairs were outstanding.” Yet every organiser knows: furniture makes or breaks the feel of a space.
Show Planning
Floor Coverings: The Stage Beneath Every Exhibition
The floor is the largest surface in any exhibition. It is also the most overlooked.
Exhibitor Success
Exhibitor Customer Services: The Organiser’s Secret Stress Test
Ask any organiser what keeps them awake at night, and it isn’t (just) visitor numbers. It’s exhibitor emails.
Creative & Design
Feature Areas: The Heartbeats of Exhibitions
Every exhibition has aisles, stands, and coffee queues. But what makes a show memorable are its feature areas - the theatres, lounges, demo zones, and registration spaces that give it shape and rhythm.
Sustainability used to be a line in the marketing deck. Today, it’s the question sponsors ask first, the requirement venues bake into contracts, and the standard visitors silently expect.
Creative & Design
Show Ready: Space Only Booths, Without the Stress
Exhibitors love the freedom of a space only booth plot. A blank floor gives them control, ambition, and the chance to make a splash. But with freedom comes responsibility - and often, overwhelm.
Show Planning
Logistics: The Backstage Engine of Exhibitions
Visitors see lights, stands, and packed aisles. Exhibitors see leads, meetings, and contracts. What nobody sees, but everybody relies on, is logistics.
Show Planning
Project Management: The Calm in the Chaos
Exhibitions are a paradox: they only last a few days, but they demand months of planning, dozens of moving parts, and hundreds of people all pulling (hopefully) in the same direction. Without project management, that paradox eats you alive.
Creative & Design
Shell Scheme: The Foundation for Exhibitor Success
Every great show starts with a modest stand. For first-time exhibitors, that stand is usually a shell scheme booth.
Show Planning
Rebooking Without the Chaos: The Smart Way Forward
We’ve all been there. The show’s in full swing, the sales team is trying to rebook space for next year, and the floor plan is… somewhere. Maybe it’s printed. Maybe it’s in someone’s inbox. Maybe it’s already out of date.
Every organiser talks about sales, footfall, and experience – but none of those happen without a floor plan. It’s the foundation of your event, and it’s time to stop treating it as back-office admin.
Creative & Design
Graphics & Enhancements: Turning Stands into Statements
Exhibitors don’t buy square metres of carpet. They buy the chance to be noticed, and the difference between being noticed and being ignored often comes down to graphics and enhancements.
Creative & Design
Graphics: The Silent Persuaders of Every Event
If exhibitions were novels, graphics would be the punctuation. You notice when it’s missing. You really notice when it’s wrong.
Creative & Design
Why Modular Booths Are the Future of Exhibiting
Let’s be honest. The phrase “space only” sounds liberating to exhibitors - until they realise it’s code for “you’re on your own.” No walls. No branding. No plan. Just a patch of carpet (and sometimes, not even that).
Show Planning
Smart Procurement for Exhibitions: 10 Bite-Size Tips
Smart procurement for exhibitions made easy! Discover 10 essential tips for streamlined, sustainable, and cost-effective exhibition planning.
Show Planning
How to Create a Memorable Event Experience
Setting up a face-to-face event might seem a daunting prospect at first. But it’s possible to facilitate a truly memorable and successful event with the right approach and preparation.
I’ve spent a large part of my career in the events industry, and another big chunk in financial services, covering roles both as event planner and, more recently, a sustainability professional. I joined GES at the end of last year, combing my passion and my experience to become Head of ESG.
I’ve spent a large part of my career in the events industry, and another big chunk in financial services, covering roles both as event planner and, more recently, a sustainability professional. I joined GES at the end of last year, combing my passion and my experience to become Head of ESG.
This month, in our quest to unearth new approaches to the world of events, we’re looking to the industry of sports hospitality.
For some, events are so much more than a simple career choice, it’s a deep-rooted passion, and one that has shaped not just their employment but also their education as well as their life choices.
Exhibitor Success
Eat Food, Save the Planet: An Interview with Thomas Rhodes
This series is about learning from different people and different industries. Magpie-ing ideas and sharing them with our own community to create better events and experiences. In this edition we stray closer to home, touching on two key areas of the event world, food and sustainability.
Exhibitor Success
Creating Worlds: An Interview with Gill Tee, Founder Black Deer Festival ... and so much more ...
As a market leader, we want to be the people that go out into the world to collect great ideas, and to share them with our peers. We start with Gill Tee.
Exhibitor Success
Accessibility in Actions, Making Everyone Welcome: An Interview with Kate McBirnie, Merlin Entertainments
One of the biggest factors seeing a resurgence across the events industry is accessibility. Over the last few years, with pandemics and the wider, equally urgent, conversations on sustainability and climate change, accessibility has taken a back seat. Now it needs to return.
Sales teams look to sell beyond square footage, as marketers develop pre-event engagement with strategic partners.
