What BIBA Taught Me About Trade Show Entertainment
One of the biggest misconceptions about exhibition entertainment is that it exists purely to create noise.
Good trade show entertainment should do far more than simply attract a crowd.
It should create conversations.
Introduce opportunities.
Generate momentum.
And ultimately help companies connect with the right people.
That became particularly clear to me while working at the BIBA Conference and Exhibition in Manchester for Proximo Ltd.
What I Learned Performing at IFSEC - One of Europe’s Largest Trade Shows
Trade shows are exhausting.
That probably sounds like a strange opening line coming from somebody hired to work at them, but it’s true.
They are loud, relentless, crowded and mentally draining environments where hundreds of companies are all competing for exactly the same thing:
attention.
And after performing at IFSEC at London’s ExCeL Centre, I quickly realised that successful trade show entertainment has very little to do with simply “doing tricks.”
It’s about stopping people walking past.
Performing at the NEC Birmingham
There are certain moments in your career where you suddenly realise you’ve stepped into a completely different world.
For me, one of those moments happened the first time I performed at the NEC in Birmingham.
Up until that point, most of my work had revolved around weddings, private functions and corporate hospitality events. I was comfortable mingling with guests, creating moments of astonishment and naturally moving between groups during relaxed social environments.
Trade shows, however, turned out to be an entirely different beast.