The postponement of indoor exhibition events due to Covid-19 led to a drop in demand for exhibition stands
Green shoots of recovery
Wind back the clock 18 months or so and we had a whole host of industry events to look forward to. FESPA was gearing up for its usual spring slot, Drupa was back for the wide-format print market and The Print Show was set for its sixth edition.
However, the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to all this, with all the work that goes into making these events also halting. As a result, those working in the exhibition stands market took a significant hit, with large parts of their revenue drying up almost overnight.
Recent promises and pledges from the government to ease and eventually drop Covid-19 measures, as well as the successful vaccine programme, will have given great hope to this market, and indeed the wider industry, which is so desperate for a trade show.
Here, we speak to those active in this market to see where their businesses stand after more than 12 months of no exhibitions, and find out what their thoughts are on the future of this formerly vibrant sector.
Optimistic mindset
Based in Peterborough, GH Display specialises in exhibition stands and custom displays, and was inevitably hit by the pandemic. Director Jenny Hodson says prior to Covid-19, exhibition stands made up around 80% of total work, and while this industry remains closed, she is looking towards its reopening as the year progresses, with recent announcement triggering a spike in demand.
GH Display has used its expertise in exhibition stands to help support the Covid-19 vaccine rollout
“We are optimistic at GH Display that with the record roll-out of vaccines in the UK, we should start to see green shoots across all of our core business areas by autumn and winter this year,” Hodson says.
“We have seen a flurry of exhibition stand enquiries since the prime minister’s roadmap to recovery was announced, with new and existing customers keen to get back to meeting their clients face to face an exhibition, whilst showcasing their new products and services.”
We have seen a flurry of exhibition stand enquiries since the prime minister’s roadmap to recovery was announced”
Though the last 12 months have been a huge challenge for GH Display, Hodson says there have been a number of silver linings that have emerged as a result of the pandemic.
First, GH Display has manufactured in-house more than it ever has in its 45-year history, primarily due to the need to find alternative workstreams for its team and in part because imports have been disrupted by Covid-19 and Brexit.
“We’re now set-up to manufacture with more materials than ever,” Hodson says, adding: “This includes manufacturing products from acrylic as well as being able to now provide a spray paint finish on our exhibition stands and displays.
“We are fully expecting that once exhibitions and displays are back on the table our wide range of retail lightboxes, portable lightbox displays and custom exhibition stands with lightboxes will be back in high demand.”
GH Display has also been able to use its expertise in exhibition stands to help with the vaccine roll-out by manufacturing vaccination booths for the NHS, and also testing pods for local authorities and businesses
“These new revenue streams have helped us survive the complete shut-down of the exhibition and events industry and hopefully they will see us through to the other side,” Hodson says.
“We appreciate that we have been very fortunate with our workshop facilities, machinery and hardworking team who have taken each new challenge on in their stride.
“If the everything goes to plan and all restrictions are lifted by the end of June, we are optimistic that we will once again be designing and building custom exhibition stands before the end of 2021.”
Year of recovery
Also active in this sector is Ultima Displays, and managing director, Mark McCleery, says 2021 will be a year of recovery for the business and the events and exhibitions industry as a whole.
McCleery comments: “This industry has been particularly devastated by the global pandemic as, across the globe, large scale gatherings were mothballed indefinitely by national governments.
“In the UK specifically, the lack of government support for this industry has been disheartening, as it is normally a vibrant, creative industry, generating significant investment in new products and services, aside from the obvious impact on the organisations that supply the exhibition and event sector.
O Factoid: The Print Show will be the only UK-focused print industry exhibition taking place this year. The event will run from September 28th to 30th at the NEC. O
“For Ultima, we cover many sectors beyond exhibitions so whilst trading is significantly down, we have still been able to operate in parts of the economy that have been allowed to remain open.”
McCleery says the government’s lockdown roadmap plan has helped rekindle confidence in the events and exhibitions industry, initially led by retail sectors as stores prepare to re-open their doors, as well as the corporate sectors as office spaces are prepared for the return of colleagues.
“There are also early indications of increased enquiries about exhibitions and events, but understandably this sector is proving to be the slowest to respond to the road map, due to uncertainty around when the government will allow large scale gatherings of people and the conditions that will need to be met.”
McCleery goes on to say that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Ultima continued its development of new products. While this initially focused more on solutions specific to the pandemic – such as hygiene, social distancing and physical barrier products – it has now switched back to its core markets.
“For exhibitions, we continue to innovate and develop our core range of aluminium profiles, concentrating on usability and the self-build end user experience,” McCleery says.
“We have continued to develop our popular Illumigo ‘lightbox in a box’ product family, introducing the Illumigo Retail, Illumigo Counter and Illumigo One.
Ultima Displays has added a number of new products to its Illumigo ‘lightbox in a box’ product family. Pictured: the Illumigo and Illumigo Counter
“With developments in fabric, we are focused on delivering more sustainable solutions to the market with a wider range of materials that can be recycled or are made from recycled materials.”
McCleery adds: “Without doubt, 2020 was the most challenging year in our history. However, despite this adversity, we are proud of what we managed to achieve.
“We reconfigured our business to suit the circumstances we found ourselves in, developed innovative products and solutions and strengthened a number of key relationships with existing and new customers as well as suppliers.”
Adapting to change
Elsewhere, Brand-It Technologies offers a range of solutions for exhibition signs. Ian Friel and Darren Friel, directors at Brand-It, says while the pandemic has had a significant impact on the sector, the down-time has allowed companies in this area to re-think their future strategies.
“This extended period of inactivity has allowed some companies to re-examine the sector and investigating ways in which it can adapt,” the two directors say, adding: “Looking into other possible avenues outside the norm in order to stay relevant and stay in business.
“The government has indicated that they are likely to use a period of transition when coming out of the current restrictions.
“Exhibition and event organisers are implementing their own restricted access protocols with limited personnel access during the build-up and break-down phases and a move towards ‘self-managed’ stands.
“This new emphasis will force a change in the type of stands that can be used. Maximising impact and opportunity during this phase will be crucial. Adapting to these new requirements and embracing new technical solutions that satisfy them will be essential. Those who can adapt the quickest are more likely to survive, recover and flourish.”
Looking towards sector recovery, Friel and Friel are keen to highlight their new product in the form of Fabexx ZERØ, an illuminated exhibition stand designed for fabric graphics.
Brand-It Technologies recently announced the launch of Fabexx ZERØ, an illuminated exhibition stand designed for fabric graphics
The system can be linked together and allows for a variety of configurations, and, according to the two directors, is easy to transport, easy to build, looks the part and helps users save money.
“No tools are needed to assemble the system,” the pair say, adding: “Exhibition and event companies don’t need to send huge crews to build these stands and their customers can also build these stands for themselves if necessary, with little or no training.”
Fabexx ZERØ, can be linked together and allows for a variety of configurations
In terms of Brand-It’s own growth plans, Friel and Friel say they have noticed a new development for the ZERØ system that moves away from the traditional B2B model to a the more lucrative B2C model for their customers.
“This has been an unexpected area for them and has huge potential going forward,” they say, adding: “We see a dramatic expansion into this new market which, is likely to take off in a massive way if approached properly.
“We are looking forward with great interest and anticipation for what the remainder of 2021 has in store.”
While the exhibition sector has suffered huge losses over the past 12 months, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for those in this sector, with events now scheduled for later in the year. In the mean time, adapting to the “new normal” and developing related products will help tie companies over until traditional demand returns.
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