Hundreds of exhibitors and visitors to Melbourne’s Event Showcase: RSVP 2011 exchanged knowledge, smiles and business cards at the Royal Exhibition Building on 29 and 30 June. The show, which attracted over 1,700 event planners from around Victoria, is the annual platform allowing event professionals to do business, form collaborations and connect with like-minded industry colleagues.
“Exhibitors commented that the quality of buyers was really high, even if the visitor numbers were lower than at last year’s show. We endeavour to continue to grow the event industry within Melbourne and look forward to welcoming more visitors to the show in 2012,” said Delwin Kriel, Event Manager for Melbourne’s Event Showcase.
One of the popular attractions within the show was the Event Master Class Sessions, which shed light on topics such as event marketing, VIP events and budgeting.
Lulu Nyirenda, Event Coordinator at Perfect Events, attended the session ’Lie to me – Change the way you think about deception, truth and communication’ presented by Steven Van Aperen, a well-known expert in the field of interviewing and detecting deception. Nyirenda tweeted: “Great seminar today at the Showcase on how to read body language, so all you liars out there I’m onto you.”
While educational seminars were conducted in an intimate conference room, the exhibition hall was filled with vibrant and busy exhibits, roving entertainment and a variety of presentations switching between the Central Showcase and the Entertainment Showcase stages.
Liquid Infusion went for their inner zen at the Event Showcase
Shane O’Neill, owner of Oneill Photographics and official show photographer, believes in the effectiveness of the show for both exhibitors and visitors.
“It is a mutually beneficial environment. Because we are all here for the same reason, the focus on doing business and making new connections is ten times stronger than in your usual work environment,” said O’Neill.
Melbourne Marriott’s Business Development Executive Nermina Sejranovic was pleased with the outcome from their exhibition stand.
“This was the first time we exhibited in Melbourne, and we’re very happy with the quality of leads we collected. Being a trade show rather than a consumer show, the amount of people we spoke to wasn’t huge, but the people were way more serious about booking our facilities for their events,” said Sejranovic.
Another exhibitor who commented on the quality of visitors was Studley Park Boathouse Director of Food & Beverage Robert Butera.
“We are thrilled with the contacts we made over the two days. It was well worth the effort to be part of the showcase for us,” said Butera.
Meanwhile, visitors were roaming the isles open for inspiration. Logical Tech Group tweeted on Wednesday: “Went to the Melbourne Event Showcase today – some really great, interesting and inventive stalls! Getting some great product launch event ideas.”
Olivia Parkes, Director of Modelique Model Management, found that the Showcase with its features provided an excellent business opportunity.
“Not only can potential clients see our models walking the aisles all day and present themselves to fellow exhibitors at the Party After Dark; I also have the opportunity to show off our professionalism and service focus. We met some great people and collected promising contacts, which is what we came here for,” said Parkes.
Mildura Rural City Council was part of the dedicated Business Events area within the show. Conferencing Facilitator & Special Projects Julie Jewell said, capturing the special events market is part of their marketing strategy, and Melbourne’s Event Showcase is the perfect place to do so.
“It’s a great show! Having experienced enormous growth in the past five years, we know that Mildura is a popular destination for Melbourne people, and there’s no better place to meet them than Melbourne’s Event Showcase,” said Jewell.
Jeremy Fisher from Inflate Australasia said, by showcasing their inflatable structures and designs their brand received maximum exposure.
“Where else can you go and make your product visible to your entire local target market over two days? Melbourne’s Event Showcase boosts our brand awareness incredibly and gives us the chance to launch new products and talk about new development in our business! And the REB is a fantastic venue to bring the event industry together,” said Fisher.
The best large and small stands and the best new product were recognised during the show with SPICE Awards. Winners were:
- Harry the Hirer – Best large stand
- Amos & Smith Stylists – Best small stand
- Rockstar for a Day – Best new product at the show
