Refreshed by a return to the hotel exhibition

Life has a funny way of turning full circle and, as I found out recently, so do exhibitions. Remember not so long ago when exhibitions were held in car parks and hotel rooms? Well it was a case of deja vu for me when Reed recently held our first event in a long while using a hotel as an exhibition venue. It was a refreshing change, literally, after having spent countless hours sweating in exhibition halls both pre- and post-shows. The best part of a hotel-based event is that you get air conditioning throughout your whole tenancy for free. No more putting up with venue owners who charge you an arm and a leg for just a couple of hours of cool air. It also struck me how exhibitions can still be made simple, painless and user-friendly for customers in hotels. There are a number of pluses with a hotel-based event, not to mention a couple of minuses, but let us look on the bright side. First, it gives your exhibitors privacy to do business away from the maddening crowd. Many amenities one would find in a good, well-planned booth, are also found in most hotel rooms including comfortable lounge chairs, coffee table, fridge, television monitor and a clean bathroom of your own. There is still a lot of planning that has to go into hotel-based events but with a little innovation, your staff will find it a challenge they will tackle with renewed vigour. Perhaps, this is one way of getting around rising rental from heartless landlords. Probably not a welcome idea for stand builders and decorators too but still, a little thinking out of the box can reap new business opportunities. When using hotels, choose your shows selectively, have an informative conference programme on hand and you are on your way to hosting an event with a difference. Mr Jimmy Lau is president, Reed Exhibition Companies, Singapore