CONVENTIONS

Lesson 5
• A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an
arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The
most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom. Trade
conventions typically focus on a particular industry or industry segment, and feature
keynote speakers, vendor displays, and other information and activities of interest to the
event organizers and attendees.

• Professional conventions focus on issues of concern along with advancements related to

the profession. Such conventions are generally organized by societies or communities
dedicated to promotion of the topic of interest. Fan conventions usually feature displays,
shows, and sales based on pop culture and guest celebrities. Science fiction
conventions traditionally partake of the nature of both professional conventions and fan
conventions, with the balance varying from one to another. Conventions also exist for
various hobbies, such as gaming or model railroads.
• A conference is generally understood as a meeting of several people to
discuss a particular topic. It is often confused with a convention,
colloquia or symposium. While a conference differs from the others in
terms of size and purpose, the term can be used to cover the general
concept. A convention is larger than a conference; it is a gathering of
delegates representing several groups.
VENUES

• Conference Center a type of building, business, center, place or venue which has the fundamental
equipment, facilities and services required to run a conference.

• Convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and
groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient
floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees. Very large venues, suitable for major trade
shows, are sometimes known as exhibition halls. Convention centers typically have at least one
auditorium and may also contain concert halls, lecture halls, meeting rooms, and conference rooms.
Some large resort area hotels include a convention center.

• Hotel place where bonafide travelers can receive food or shelter, provided he/she is in a position to
pay for it and is in a fit condition to be received‘. Hence, a hotel must provide food (and beverage)
and lodging to a traveler on payment, but the hotel has the right to refuse if the traveler is not
presentable (either drunk, or disorderly, or unkempt) or is not in a position to pay for the services.
 IMPORTANT ELEMENTS EVERY
CONFERENCE ROOM MUST HAVE
1. Proper Seating
There are different seating styles that you can consider based on the type of the conference. For example,
you can set up a U-shape or hollow square seating if it is a corporate meeting. If you organize a workshop,
then consider a classroom or boardroom-style seating.

The meetings can extend to long hours and uncomfortable seating would make it worse. Make sure the
chairs are sturdy and comfortable so that the attendees can sit through the meeting without any issue.

2. Projector and Audio Equipment

Two important conference room facilities include a projector system and a whiteboard. The projection
screen allows you to display presentations and the whiteboard lets you jot down important takeaways from
the meeting. The latest projectors use video cameras to give a 3D image of the document or image that you
want to share. Thanks to this, the participants get a better idea of the content that you present.

Make sure you have a good surround sound system so that every attendee can hear the speakers clearly.
Check the audio equipment before the meeting starts.
3. High-Speed Wi-Fi
You may have to connect to the Internet to show the presentation or make video calls with
certain team members during the meeting. This is why having a fast and stable Wi-Fi
connection is a must.

A high-speed Internet connection allows you and the attendees to surf on the Internet and work
alongside during the meeting.

4. Video Conference System

Conference meetings may also require you to make international calls. Apart from a Wi-Fi
connection, you must have a video conferencing system to make this happen. Video
conferencing technology allows you to talk to team members who are in different countries.

Many companies even prefer video-conferencing instead of traveling to different cities just to
attend meetings.
5. Air-Conditioning
You cannot make the attendees sit in a hot and stuffy room for the entire duration of the
meeting, even if it is a short meeting. One of the most essential conference facilities is an
air-conditioning system in the meeting room to keep the attendees comfortable.

There should be a backup facility in case there air conditioning failure. The room should be
well-ventilated and allow natural light to come in. This will create a positive and bright
environment.

6. Trained and Efficient Staff

To plan a corporate event, you need dedicated and efficient staff to support you. Make sure
the venue has staff that is adept at handling corporate meetings and conferences. Such
employees go beyond their responsibilities to make corporate meetings a success.
 TYPES OF CONFERENCES
Seminar
This is an interactive session in which one or two speakers drive the conversation with the audience. A
seminar is informative and educational in nature and aims to impart some skills or knowledge to the
audience e.g. digital marketing skills, real estate advice, tips on personal finance and investment, etc.

Workshop
Workshops are less formal and involve a lot of attendee participation. Compared to seminars, they are
more geared towards imparting new skills to the participants under an instructor.

Round-table
This is a session where energetic discussions and debates are conducted among the participants. There is
no lead speaker and the time allotted to every speaker is limited.

Symposium
A symposium is a small conference in which several experts discuss a common subject. It is usually
completed within a day.
EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS
Lesson 6
 EXHIBITIONS
Exhibitions are essentially trade shows where an organization promotes its key products and services to
the public. They are hyper-focused events that drum up business and help employees to network and build
lasting professional relationships.

A traditional exhibition is a large-scale event that uses a variety of media and means to promote products,
corporate image and establish good public relations.

Its characteristics are:

 It is a complex, intuitive, visual, and vivid way of communication.

 It provides an opportunity for two-way direct communication with the public. It is a highly centralized
and efficient communication method.
 It is a comprehensive and large-scale public special event. The event is a good subject for news
reporting.
 They are entertaining and can attract a large volume of visitors. Most companies are treating exhibition
as a great opportunity for them to form to shape and display their best image to the public.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE EXHIBITION?

 Gather useful information

Through the exhibition, you can gather the
information from your peers. You can grasp
the development trend of the competitors.
You can determine the correct strategy for
the company. Besides, some industry
exhibitions also hold numerous industry
forums and seminars. You can further
understand the industry and gain more
information through the conference.
 Examine the needs of the local market
It provides the opportunity for businessmen to examine the needs and potential of the local
market. When the exhibitors are gathered together in an exhibition, you can predict your
business development. You can also understand the market potential for your products.

 Finding suitable agents and distributors

Find a suitable partner by taking part in an exhibition that is having a wide range of local
agents and distributors. Most of the participants in an exhibition can simply be divided into
two categories: one is to sell products, the other is to look for products. Through the
exhibition, you can easily find the channels and get connected to the right people to
develop your business.

 Establish and maintain the image of the company

In the areas where customers and distributors are more concentrated, a company can use
the exhibition to improve the company’s image. You can also use the exhibition to promote
your product popularity and market competitiveness. You can showcase your support and
help to local distributors.
 Selling products to the right customers
Through the exhibition to achieve the purpose of selling your products to the right
customers. A company in a certain region may have a lot of customers, and it is more
dispersed. Individual access to each of your customer is not only high in cost but also
inefficient. After the exhibition, all dealers or customers can gather and discuss one by
one to improve access efficiency and negotiation.

 Establish trade cooperation with others

Through the exhibition, one can establish trade cooperation with others. After face-to-
face communication with customers, distributors, or other companies, it can stimulate the
company to develop new ideas. A detailed understanding of the company’s product and
market.
 PURPOSES AND PRINCIPLES OF THE EXHIBITION

The planning of the exhibition begins with the selection of the objectives of the exhibition.
Implementing the objectives is reflected in the details of each design. Following the principle
of purpose, the designer should handle the following relationships well:

 Establish a good relationship with the exhibitors and designers

The design of the exhibition requires the designer not to create a piece of art according to his
own ideas. Instead, the designer to use the technology and creativity to reflect and express
the intention, style, and image of the exhibiting company. The goal is to achieve the desired
purpose and effect of the exhibiting enterprise.

 Handle the relationship between art and exhibition

Regardless of the design techniques being used, and also the background (including display
racks, props, and decorations), the protagonist is the stand and exhibit products. Booth
design can overwhelm the products. You shouldn’t emphasize too much on the booth design
and neglect the exhibition stand and product display.
 Handling the relationship between exhibition and trading
The booth reflects the image of the exhibitor. A well-designed booth can attract the
audience and impresses the exhibits. The exhibits can reflect the characteristics,
advantages, and give a good impression to the visitors.

If it is a public exhibition, such a design achieves its purpose. But if it is a trade fair, the
design has not yet reached its final goal.

 The relationship between exhibition design and other related parties

Designers must understand that the exhibitors want the design that will match the
exhibition environment and conditions. They will need to coordinate the work with the
promoters and advertisers.
 WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF EXHIBITION?
The exhibition offers opportunities for companies to showcase their services and products. Exhibitors’ competitiveness can be radiant through
well-trained booth staff, active pre-show, exhibition promotions, fascinating booth design, and rigorous booth follow-up.

Visitors come to the exhibition will use the opportunity to do their comparison on different exhibitors. Therefore, this is an open opportunity for
exhibitors to show the superior functionality of their products.

 Save time
It exposes the exhibitors to more potential customers than the sales staff during the exhibition. Meeting face-to-face with potential customers is
a quick way to build customer relationships.

 Harmonizing customer relationships

Customer relationships are very important for many companies. The exhibition is a great place to get connected with existing customers.

Exhibitors can express their gratitude to customers in the following ways:

 Hospitality
 Offering discount
 Give away free gift
 Offer a special service
 Etc.
 WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXPOSITION AND
EXHIBITION?
The general scale of an expo is large and
worldwide. For an exhibition, it is small and most
of the time is regional targeting.

Expo
It refers the expo to an exhibition with a large
scale. It features a wide range of contents and
numerous exhibitors and visitors. Generally, the
expo is a high-end exhibition. It can influence
and promote the development of society, culture,
and economy. But, in real life, we have abused
the “expo”. From time to time, you can even see
some expos are being held by the local stores on
the street.
Exhibition
The traditional exhibition is a routine public relations activity that conveys information
through on-site exhibitions and demonstrations. It is recommended for companies to
showcase their services and products to the visitors in an exhibition. It has developed into
an exhibition industry and is developing rapidly.

As a concept, the definition of the exhibition is to display industrial and agricultural

products, handicraft products, works of art, books, pictures, various important items,
specimens, models, etc. It is open for the public to visit. This definition does not seem to
be accurate and is worth further exploring.

Trade show
A trade show is a publicity campaign to showcase products and technologies. The
company can use trade show to expand channels, promote sales, and increase brand
recognition.
TYPES OF EXHIBITIONS

We can divide the exhibition into two categories: trade and consumer.

Trade-oriented exhibitions are exhibitions for industries such as manufacturing and

commerce. The main purpose of the exhibition is to exchange information and negotiate
a trade.

Consumer-oriented exhibitions are exhibitions for the public. These types of

exhibitions basically display consumer goods for direct sales. The nature of the exhibition
is determined by the organizers of the exhibition and can be reflected by the composition
of the visitors.

Exhibitions that are open to the business community are trade-oriented exhibitions. While
exhibitions open to the public are consumer-oriented exhibitions.
According to the nature of the exhibition
We can divide the exhibition into two categories: comprehensive exhibition and professional exhibition.

The comprehensive exhibition refers to exhibitions that cover the whole industry or several industries. It’s
also called horizontal exhibitions, such as industrial exhibitions and light industry exhibitions.

A professional exhibition is an exhibition that shows a certain industry or even a certain product, such as a
watch exhibition.

One of the outstanding features of professional exhibitions is that they often hold seminars and
presentations at the same time to introduce new products and technologies.

According to the scale of the exhibition, we can divide the exhibitions into international, national, regional,
local exhibitions, and exclusive exhibitions of individual companies.

For the exhibition size, it is referred to the size of the area represented by exhibitors and visitors rather
than the size of the exhibition venue.

Exhibitions of different sizes have different characteristics and advantages. They should be selected
according to the company’s own conditions and needs.
Exhibit according to the exhibition time
There are some exhibitions that held regularly and irregularly.

For a regular exhibition, some may be held four times a year, twice a year,
once a year, once every two years, and so on.
While for irregular exhibitions, they are held according to needs and
conditions. They can be categorized into Long-term and short-term.

Long-term exhibitions can be held for three months, half a year, or even
permanent. While short-term exhibitions generally do not exceed one month.
In developed countries, professional trade fairs are generally held for three
days.
Select exhibition according to the exhibition venue
Exhibition venue can be either indoor or outdoor.

Indoor venues are often used to display exhibitions of conventional products. Most of the
common one would be textile exhibitions and electronic exhibitions.

Outdoor venues are often used to display oversized and overweight products. Such as air
show and mining equipment exhibition. Exhibitions held in rotation in several places are
called road shows. (Most of the exhibitions are held in dedicated exhibition venues).
EXHIBITION PLANNING

1. Choose the Right Exhibition for Your Business

2. Assign Key Roles and Responsibilities
3. Evaluate Floor Plans and Select Your Space
4. Choose Your Type of Exhibition Stand
5. Ensure Your Company Is Listed on Exhibitor Website
6. Set Goals and Exhibition Objectives
7. Plan Some Pre-Show Advertising
8. The Different Stand Designs and Layouts
Type of Stand

custom booths
A purpose built exhibition stand customised to your exhibition space and target audience and totally unique
to your brand.

modular exhibition stand

Modular stands are a series of portable displays that are connected together to create one exhibition stand.
The most versatile option - these can be reconfigured to suit the booked exhibition space.

shell scheme stand

A shell scheme stand is the most common type of stand assigned to exhibitors when an exhibition space is
booked. It is a predetermined uniform space ready to be dressed with graphics.

pull up and pop-up displays

A cost effective, versatile option, pull-ups and pop-ups are great when you are short on space and not
exhibiting for a long period of time. You’ll often see pop-ups at conferences and roadshows.
9. Design and Print Marketing Literature
10. Plan Who Will Be Attending
11. Thoroughly Read Through Exhibitor Manual
12. Submit Electrical and Furniture Orders