No need to put the chairman in the chicken suit, then

By the time you read this, Confex 2002, another industry bandwagon at Earls Court, will be nearing its conclusion.

Getting ready for it is our urgent task at the time of writing. My PA, Penny, has accumulated a file about nine inches thick on this project alone.

Confex is perhaps the most important exhibition in this country for the conference and meetings industry, and we are exhibiting for the first time in several years. Much of the preparation for this involves making difficult compromises because of (a) our desire to achieve maximum impact and (b) a limited budget.

The first consideration is the size of the stand. We hope that ours will be a happy compromise between the airport lobby style of some of our larger competitors and the lavatory cubicle favoured by a few of the smaller associations.

The next problem is decor. Again, the temptation was to spend much more on creating a lavishly furnished "room" or to try to distract attention from a very plain stand by getting our chairman, for example, to parade in a chicken suit.

Fortunately, this was not required, and several member hoteliers have agreed to grace the stand with their presence during the three days, in business attire. Making the right impression is vital for the exercise to work.

According to the British Conference Market Trends Survey, around three-quarters of all conferences are held in hotels, and half of them are for 20 delegates or fewer. This is where we fit in.

Of course, it is never easy to quantify the value of these events. I remember hearing the story of two salesmen at a similar exhibition. One says: "I've made a lot of really good contacts today." The other replies: "Mmm. I haven't sold anything either."

With luck, the prepublicity will have ensured a good number of visitors to the stand, and we are pretty confident of the usefulness of our handout material.

But there is another compromise to make. Should we loiter aggressively in the aisles and collar each passer-by with a clever catch phrase, or sit passively in a chair waiting for the world to come to us? Both have their drawbacks.

And will we book again for next year? Of course! That's the whole point of a bandwagon, isn't it? n

Peter Hancock is chief executive of Pride of Britain Hotels

Next diary from Peter Hancock: 4 April