Impact On Demand For Events

We start with a question about how the demand for your services has been impacted by COVID-19. Most businesses reported answers ranging from near-total disaster to a slightly negative impact, which is no surprise. Only 1 respondent reported a very positive impact on their business, due to being in the virtual events space.

What Has The Government’s Reaction Been?

In this question, we asked how the government has reacted to the situation in the respondent’s country. These numbers were relatively evenly distributed between people being content with the government’s response and others being very disappointed with how the situation has unfolded in their cities.

Impact On Financial Projections

We asked how financial forecasts have been impacted. These numbers are bleak, with most respondents predicting revenue loss of somewhere between 50 - 75%. One respondent’s business had come out on top due to being in the virtual events space.

The vast majority of businesses in the events industry are facing an uphill battle with regard to income loss. During the easing of restrictions in various cities and countries, events will almost certainly be one of the last activities to return to some sort of normality. This might only occur when there is a vaccine freely available.

Other Tactics Event Businesses Have Used to Combat COVID-19

Event businesses across the board also deployed these tactics in response to the COVID-19:

Improved and updated communications on the company website.

Communicated new updates and insights via the company’s social media channels.

Provided safety training and upskilling to staff and contractors.

Applied for government support programs.

Changed the tools that are used to operate and communicate.

Been forced into laying-off or furloughing staff.

Implemented extra hygiene steps in the office and for smaller events that are still running.

Pivoted to a different business or product temporarily.

As discovered in the research, there has been a breadth and depth of tactics that companies and sole traders have used to negate the effects of COVID-19 on their business, helping them to survive this period of prolonged industry turbulence.

What Are Event Customers Asking?

Finally, we asked event businesses what the most common questions are they’ve received from customers related to COVID-19. Here are the responses:

How can we get a refund on our event?

Can we postpone or reschedule our event?

Are you still open for business?

When do you think the pandemic will be over?

How will events function and what will they look like in the new world?

Will you be open this year?

What is the best way forward?

Will events ever be safe again?

What hygiene protocols have you installed to deal with COVID-19?

How will you continue to create engaging content and events with COVID-19?

When will venues reopen?

Can we move our events to online?

Final Word

As an event-based business ourselves, we are riding the wave of COVID-19 just like the respondents in our survey are. We have pivoted to get ready for the new normal and are in talks with a variety of partners to focus on both virtual events and physical events that are COVID-19 compliant.

If you would like to get in touch to discuss this research or have any other questions, please reach out to Exhibau’s CEO - Patrick Wallain at patrick@exhibau.com and book in for a no obligation chat about the industry and where we think it is heading.

From everyone at the Exhibau team, keep safe.

Read on for our no-jargon industry-insider guide.
Exhibition design is an interesting and crucial part of the event industry. Think of any previous event that you have been to. Think about the effort that went into building and designing that event. Now think of all of the vendors and what they were doing. Exhibition design is everywhere and we’re going to break down for you just what exactly it is.

How can exhibition design help?
Exhibition design is the factor that brings your event or exhibition to life. A lot of planning and grunt work is required before an exhibition can take shape. Some of the groundwork included in such a process covers the following areas:

Discussions around budgetary requirements and the objectives of the exhibition.
Agreeing on strict timelines for project milestones and key dates.
Sketching out the concept design so that all parties are happy with the creative direction of the exhibition.
Resource planning.
Checking the availability of any required resources or venues before proceeding any further.
RFP - Request For Proposal to be completed and signed-off by all parties.

These are just some of the necessary steps to factor in when planning an exhibition in the early stages.

What do exhibition design companies do?
Exhibition design companies do lots of different things in relation to bringing an exhibition to life.

They can manage the onsite activities throughout the whole event or just for a specific period of time in the lead up to the exhibition deadline.
There’s also the creative concept design phase which is typically done at the beginning of a project. This can involve sketching, 3D design and animation or other creative pursuits in order to begin planning for how the exhibition will take shape.
Moreover, project planning is another crucial function of exhibition design companies. This involves scheduling timelines adhering to strict Gantt charts and managing the exhibition project to ensure it runs smoothly.

Why you should hire a firm to design your next exhibition.
Hiring an exhibition design firm to help with your next project is a smart way to ensure the exhibition is delivered on time and under budget. Being able to outsource the grunt work for large-scale projects is something that brings peace of mind and an assurance that your exhibition will be able to go ahead as scheduled without any delays. The main reasons why you should hire a firm include:

Exhibition design firms are generally specialized in a few different areas meaning they can help you wherever there is a bottleneck.
Often, by employing an exhibition design vendor, this will free up valuable time for your team to focus on other more important areas of the project.
You will still maintain full creative control over the project.
The turnaround time for the project may be quicker depending on circumstances.

Insider tips for exhibition design.

“An "organogram" [is] a hierarchical diagram setting out the roles and responsibilities of the staff designing an exhibition.” - Phillip Hughes. Use it wisely.
If you are looking to use a vendor for exhibition design support, try and give them as much time as possible to be able to deliver you the best possible results.
What story would you like to tell or what message are you wanting to convey to your audience? How can this create a meaningful connection? This is a great place to start in the design process.

Exhibit VS Exhibition.
There is a distinct difference between the two. To put it simply, an Exhibit may be something that is found inside of an Exhibition. Exhibit; to produce something publicly for inspection. Such as displaying a picture in a gallery

Exhibition; is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items.

Key terms in the exhibition design world.

RFP - Request for proposal
A/V - Audio and visual equipment
A1 - First class condition
AAR - Against all risks.
Baffle - A partition designed to control light, air, sound or traffic flow.
Build and burn - Booth designed and built for one-time use.
CAD - Computer-aided design.
CIF - Cost, Insurance & Freight.
Double-decker - A multiple story exhibit.
Fabrication - The construction of an exhibit.
Knockdown - An exhibit with separate components that must be assembled on-site.

How Exhibau can help with your exhibition design.
Exhibau is an award-winning exhibition design company. Our range of services covers art installations to full-scale project planning for your next big exhibition or event. As the exclusive design firm for top US brands like TED and Nike, Exhibau has mastered the craft of supporting projects in any way possible.

If you’re in need of concept development or the physical execution of your vision, talk to us.
We’re currently offering a free event checklist to help manage your next event.
Email the CEO of Exhibau patrick@exhibau.com to receive your FREE event checklist.

Happy Exhibition designing!

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The Impact of COVID-19 on The Event Industry