The Australian Business Events Expo and Sydney Event Showcase are to be combined and rebranded to Inspire EX in 2014.
Exhibitions & Trade Fairs managing director, Gary Daly, said the new name and new direction follows extensive market research with industry at the conclusion of this year’s event. He said a shift to the temporary Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island in 2014 (August 18-19) added further impetus for a reinvention of the trade show.
While the 2013 Australian Business Events Expo and Sydney Event Showcase saw record visitor numbers (4175) and increased exhibitors, Mr Daly said it was time for change at the show to continue to deliver greater returns for the industry.
“Inspire EX is the name of the new show. We looked at all of the things that the show aims to do and will do and Inspire EX fit the bill perfectly,” he said.
He said breaking down the word inspire led to words such as inspiration, information, incentive, invigoration, special, spectacular, sparkles, speakers, ideas, imagination, illumination, revitalisation, exceptional entertainment and events – everything that their research groups said they wanted at an industry exhibition for the event sector.
“It’s a new name that incorporates the best of our history.
“When we did our focus groups and sat down with people and asked them what they wanted out of the show, the young 20 somethings said they all wanted to be inspired and they all wanted to learn. The older people were saying we want to learn and be informed about new trends and new things.”
This will mean an even stronger focus on seminars and presentations in 2014.
“It’s an exciting time for us and for Sydney. With some of the developments happening in Sydney now, the city really has its mojo back.” m
Read our interview with keynote presenter at the 2013 ABEE and Sydney Event Showcase, Cheryl Cecchetto, on page 104 of this edition.
What they said in 2013
Alex Yazbeck
managing director, Advanced Staging Productions
Being a first time exhibitor, I didn’t really know what to expect. Initially I found it hard to really assess the value of entering the show, but at this stage it’s has been quite valuable. If 20 per cent of the leads made here convert into sales I’ll definitely been returning here next year. I was expecting to see smaller-scale buyers but I’ve been approached with a whole plethora of event types, from conferences and festivals to weddings. For me it’s been an amazing experience thus far.
Laura McDougall
corporate relations manager, MCI (hosted buyer)
There’s been a lot of variety here between ABEE and the Sydney Event Showcase, but there’s a very different vibe between the two sides. There’s perhaps more of a buzz in the Sydney Event Showcase than at ABEE, which is more business-focused, but the exhibitors have been really interesting. It’s been a great experience for me, being new in my position, because you have access to so many different hotels, suppliers, caterers all in the one location, so you can get quite a bit of information and increase your product knowledge really quickly.
Alfred Merse
markets manager – conference and banquets, Wrest Point Tasmania
Overall I was quite surprised by the lack of attendance of delegates. I’m aware the organisers put a lot of time and effort into building up the show and putting in extra features like the kitchen demonstrations, celebrity chefs and overall entertainment program. So the organisers certainly tried very hard to attract more people to attend but maybe it’s a reflection of the general environment at the moment. Talking to other exhibitors, the general feeling is that the market is a bit flat and people aren’t spending money at the moment. Having said all that, it is still very important to be involved in trade shows like this because the industry is really built on relationships so we as exhibitors need to be here to build those relationships and when the economic environment improves, we’ll expect business to eventually flow.
