Me and my job – behind the scenes at IFE
IFE is the largest food and drink exhibition in the UK, showcasing 1,400 exhibitors and attracting 30,000 visitors over four days. Sarah Harvey is marketing manager for the event, but her job description says little about the true extent of her role.
While the exhibition itself might last only four days, preparing for it takes closer to 18 months. "The first stages of preparation start as soon as the last show finishes. We produce post-event research so we can make appropriate changes and instigate new initiatives the next time around," she says.
From then on, life just gets busier. Promoting the event is a large part of the job, involving organising direct-mail campaigns, creating and sending personalised invitations, overseeing the website, meeting potential exhibitors and clients and liaising with outsourced PR companies to make sure details of the exhibition make it on to the right editorial pages.
Tickets have to be designed with appropriate wording, too. "The first thing we do is write a body of objectives outlining what the company wants to achieve at the show," Harvey says. "From that, we build a marketing plan highlighting what we want to communicate to our exhibitors and visitors."
As around eight versions of tickets are produced for different visitors, each needs appropriate imagery - a drinks-related one for drinks buyers, a food image for food-buyers, etc - so a lot of time is spent briefing designers, directing photo-shoots and drafting promotional copy. Once written, adverts need to be translated and distributed to the right countries.
Promoting the exhibition is only one part of Harvey's role. Deciding what happens at the event over the four days and then making sure it all happens is another source of sleepless nights.
"The show has something we call a Feature Area, where we hold daily visitor attractions and events. This year our principle event is the Innovations Show which, strangely enough, is designed to highlight the level of innovation in the food and beverage industry. This year we're focusing on international cuisine."
Putting the programme of events for the Feature Area together also falls to Harvey. Demonstrations and seminars need to be organised, speakers found, co-ordinated and timetabled. "This part of the job is good fun," she says. "This year we've got Aldo Zilli on Italian produce and cuisine, Jean-Christophe Novelli demonstrating Norwegian seafood and Malaysian chef Wan, as well as seminars on global trends in packaging and retail. The idea is that visitors can come to the demonstrations and really learn something."
Next up is working with the Department of Trade & Industry and Food from Britain - the organisation responsible for promoting British food to the international community - to bring in buyers from outside the UK. "As well as producing adverts in different languages, we also organise what we call inward missions - co-ordinated trips to the show from outside the UK."
What with lending a hand here and there to the sales team, co-ordinating a catalogue for the show - "a logistical nightmare", according to Harvey - making sure visitors get regular contact e-mails to keep them up-to-date with the exhibition's progress and organising VIP visits (this year the Duke of York is due to make an appearance), juggling responsibilities has become an absolute necessity.
"It does get a bit stressful towards the end, but seeing all the visitors turn up on the first day makes it all worthwhile," Harvey says. "You can't beat that feeling."
Sarah Harvey
Age: 29
Position: Marketing manager, IFE
Accountability: Exhibition director
Likes: Variety - no two days are the same. Seeing everything you've worked towards for two years come to fruition. Seeing the visitors turn up with the tickets you've designed and the copy you've written. Working with a brilliant team.
Dislikes: Never being able to focus in on anything in detail because the role is so broad. Not having time to do all you wished you could have done IFE 2003 takes place on 23-26 March at ExCel, London.
