It’s no secret that exhibiting brings great value to businesses. The events bring companies face-to-face with relevant budget-holders, offering valuable opportunities to connect over a brand, product, or service.
However, the bar of entry at exhibitions is still fairly high. Exhibiting requires a significant investment of time and money, and businesses must consider the costs of floor space, exhibition stand, giveaways, and staff.
To make events more accessible to younger businesses, many event organisers are introducing areas and zones with reduced prices and a range of preset features.
In this article, we discuss the latest entry routes to exhibiting, from the classic shell-scheme spaces to unique routes like “Innovation Alley” and the “Start-Up Superstar Zone”. These routes offer a wealth of benefits to new exhibitors!
Shell-Scheme
Shell Scheme is what usually comes to mind when people think about entry points to exhibiting! It’s the all-inclusive resort of exhibition spaces, featuring a pre-set structure with a metal fascia for branding. The structure includes walls, flooring, basic lighting and sometimes furniture, offering a cost-effective way to start exhibiting.
These routes typically turn out cheaper than the alternative of Space Only, but they are also easier to organise, as there are fewer considerations to keep in mind. This makes them a convenient option for smaller or newer businesses.
Unique Exhibiting Routes
Although shell scheme is a great route to exhibiting, it is not a new concept and is not specifically designed for start-up businesses. In recent years, event organisers have forged new routes specifically designed to help young businesses break into the exhibition world. Here are a few examples –
Smart Factory Expo | Innovation Alley
Innovation Alley is an exhibition area that runs alongside Digital Manufacturing Week, designed entirely for new businesses.
The vibrant exhibiting space is exclusively for businesses that are either less than 5 years old or have 10 or fewer staff, with an innovative product or service for manufacturers. There are only 50 spaces, and exhibitors can only exhibit in the alley once!
Start-ups in Innovation Alley can also take part in the Smart Tank competition, where they present their innovative products and services to potential investors, journalists, industry leaders and partners. Each company has a 10-minute slot, with 5 minutes for the pitch and 5 minutes for Q&A.
This space serves as a fantastic entry point to exhibiting, and it opens up new businesses to over 5000 relevant industry professionals. Innovation Alley now boasts a community of over 300 alumni, providing additional support, brand exposure, funding and collaboration opportunities worldwide.
Retail Technology | Start-Up Superstar Zone
Retail Technology, the UK’s leading event for retail and hospitality professionals, also offers a turnkey, entry-level, cost-effective exhibiting solution solely for young start-up businesses.
Organisers at Retail Tech understand that exhibiting can be a daunting prospect for new businesses. Their Start-Up Superstar Zone is designed to make exhibiting accessible and bring young businesses face-to-face with over 16,000 professionals.
Like Innovation Alley, this exhibiting route has a criterion for eligibility. Eligible companies should be based in the UK, must be within five years of their establishment, have never exhibited before, and must present an innovative solution to the industry!
NoVacancy London | Start-Up Zone
Our third unique exhibiting route for start-ups is the Start-Up Zone at NoVacancy London, a hotel and accommodation industry expo!
This expo believes in paying it forward and supporting new businesses. To do this, they provide pod stands to early-stage start-ups, looking to begin exhibiting at a low cost. The pods are 1×1 square metres and cost £500. Exhibitors in the start-up zone can enjoy all of the brand awareness benefits of the wider event, including the business listing and event networking platform.
To qualify for the spaces, businesses must have a revenue of under £500k p.a., be four years or younger, have fewer than 10 employees, and have market-ready products!
Exhibiting in Pavilions
If you’re exhibiting abroad, consider exhibiting in a pavilion. Pavilions are large structures that house specific companies, organisations or nations. They are found at many significant events and create a designated area for exhibitors to present their brand products and services.
For example, ADS, the UK trade association advancing leadership in aerospace, defence, security and space, organises UK Pavilions at several key global exhibitions throughout the year. These spaces are ideal for SMEs looking to establish a foothold in international markets, as they are usually more cost-efficient than individual spaces in the hall. Eligibility criteria can vary based on the individual shows!
Exhibition Stand Contractors
Organisers have made great steps to include SME’s and start-ups, and we’re seeing growing efforts from exhibition stand contractors too!
Too often, start-ups and SME’s feel limited to budget-friendly, generic shell scheme solutions. Little do they know, there are great alternatives on the market which can transform the exhibition stand space, without breaking the bank.
As an example, Quadrant2Design, the UK’s premier supplier of modular exhibition stands, offers full shell scheme transformations. Where the caged structure of the shell scheme is removed and a separate stand structure is inlayed in front, giving the illusion of a space-only setup!
Alternatively, the company offers Shell Smart, a solution designed to make an impact in shell scheme and pipe and drape spaces, on more restricted budgets. Shell Smart can be thought of as a part transformation, combining the Shell scheme with the bespoke solution. This option is budget-friendly and creates a luxury look, even in small spaces!
In Conclusion
The exhibition world has evolved to become more inclusive and accessible for younger businesses. By introducing entry routes such as Innovation Alley, the Start-Up Superstar Zone, and the Start-Up Zone at NoVacancy London, event organisers are providing valuable opportunities for start-ups.
These options not only lower the financial barriers associated with participation but also provide invaluable opportunities to meet prospective customers. As these initiatives gain momentum, from organisers, pavilions and private contractors, exhibiting will become increasingly accessible to start-up companies.
