Event Growth Management: Scaling an Exhibition Past Its Ceiling

A successful exhibition will almost certainly hit a ceiling at some point. The question then isn't "how do we grow bigger within the same framework," but which of the three directions of event growth management to pick to keep developing.

Why a successful event hits a growth limit

A successful event often reaches a maximum scale, which may be due to the venue's capacity limit, the ratio of visitors to exhibiting companies, or simply that the event has become too big to manage effectively. At that point, organizers often look for alternative ways to manage the event through replication or verticalization. Organizers may also want to grow the event and use one of these methods together with internationalizing it.

Internationalization

Some exhibition owners look to expand their reach and brand, and taking an exhibition international is an effective way to reach that goal. Moving into an international market is a challenging task, so organizers should look for partners already operating in the new location to help achieve the goal.

Internationalization can increase the audience and the number of potential exhibitors, but it may also require replication or verticalization in the new space to succeed. The level of competition on entering an international market also differs sharply from the previous event in the domestic market.

Replication

One technique is to replicate the event at another venue, which can be done simply with a parallel bi-coastal event or more elaborately with a series of regional events. Regional exhibitions are usually smaller and attract audiences within the area; bi-coastal events may still keep a national or international scale.

Another option is to split the event into two or more events and market each to a specific audience segment, for example splitting by profession or by how the product is used. This is especially useful if the organizer's or exhibitors' marketing tactics are already specific to each type of visitor. Replication can also be done by creating a second event at a different time of year. Ultimately, the market itself will decide how far an event can be stretched.

Verticalization

Vertical events are created out of horizontal mega events, though splitting them off can hurt the original mega event and the organizer. On the positive side, a vertical event can benefit visitors: when visitors want to network effectively, a smaller event makes meeting each other easier; when visitors need substantial one-on-one time with exhibitors, a smaller show allows that close interaction; when visitors have little time for the exhibition because of other activities such as workshops and training, a smaller event can be more useful. A vertical event is also useful to exhibitors because they know specialized buyers with specific needs are attending in person, letting them market precisely to that audience.

Choose the right strategy instead of applying all three at once

The three directions of event growth management are not mutually exclusive, but they shouldn't all be applied at once without carefully assessing resources. Internationalization requires local partners and understanding of the new market; replication requires the ability to run several events in parallel; verticalization requires accepting the risk of affecting the very mega event that is already succeeding. Choosing the right direction depends on the real reason the event hit its ceiling: lack of floor space, lack of new audiences, or that it is time to serve each industry segment in greater depth.