Offshore Wind Spotlight Exhibition 2024
UK Offshore Supply Chain Spotlight – London 2024
Project Overview
The UK Offshore Wind Supply Chain Spotlight exhibition and conference has become a staple in the renewable energy events calendar, with a niche focus on providing a platform for supply chain companies to engage with the wider industry.
Jenny and Ross have been developing our relationship with ORE Catapult, delivering projects over the last 5 years, and we were delighted to come back and support ORE Catapult and OWGP in raising the bar for their 3rd Supply Chain Spotlight Exhibition.
Jenny and Ross combined their sales and operational skill sets to manage this project and service a leading event in the renewable energy sector.
The Challenge
The UK Offshore Wind Supply Chain Spotlight is organised and hosted by ORE Catapult and OWGP and the brief this year was to build upon the success of the 2023 event.
The 2024 brief focussed on improving the engagement and quality of the event across a number of areas – exhibition, main conference and break out streams for all those in attendance.
In it’s first two years, the Spotlight Exhibition was hosted in conference venues (QEII and EICC), but due to the success of these events and the demand to increase the events capacity and capabilities, 2024 saw its first year taking on an Exhibition Hall at the ExCel Centre London.
Having worked on the exhibition the year prior, Jenny & Ross had a real understanding on the key features and purpose of this event and saw the blank canvas hall as an opportunity to transform the event and create a more efficient and unique design.
Sustainability continues to be an area of focus in the renewable energy industry and a key driving factor in decisions around how to deliver the exhibition
Our Solution
In order to transform an empty hall info a custom-built Exhibition, it was imperative to work with and coordinate a number of contractors and suppliers. Communication and planning were key to ensure all parties were coming together to achieve the same end design.
The process took over 6 months from initial concepts to delivery. In the end, we created a space which delivered a 600-seater auditorium and main stage plenary, 3x custom-branded breakout meeting spaces (each with their own unique feature), catering and networking spaces for delegates and of course, the exhibition space itself.
Ross worked closely with the client and sponsors to identify and create new, bespoke branding opportunities across the hall, most of which were cleverly created with sustainability in mind and will be re-used in future exhibitions.
At Maximillion we prioritise partnering with all our clients, suppliers and their partners to ensure our events have as little impact on our environment as possible. Along with the materials and build of these bespoke spaces sustainability was evident throughout including the digital registration process to sustainable vegan catering.
AV & Production
Turning an empty hall into multiple spaces, full of high-level production and AV is sometimes a chore, however, we LOVE it! It got our creative juices flowing, allowed us to think of the overall aesthetic of each space whilst focusing on the speaker and delegate experience.
The main plenary seated 600 delegates and was constructed using soundproof drapes around the perimeter of the room. Within the main plenary space, we installed 3 independent and parallel 3m x 1.5m LED walls to ensure all delegates were able to understand the facts and figures that the speakers were discussing whilst on stage. The room also contained a large, high-quality D&B sound package and an uplifting lighting package to bring the ‘dark and drab’ space to life.
Out with the main plenary, Maximillion supported the exhibition space with additional AV and Production too. Three sponsored breakout areas required adequate AV to support numerous guest-speaker slots. We installed twin 65” plasma screens, thematic lighting and due to the noise in the venue ran all external breakout sessions as silent conferences with multi-channel headphones issued to each delegate.
Finally, we offered delegates the chance to upgrade their own exhibition stands by installing plasma screens in their stand space to show business related content and display QR codes, reducing the need for printed handouts.
All elements of the AV installation was supplied and managed by Maximillion.
Exhibitor & Delegate Management
Maximillion created a branded and bespoke Delegate Management System (DMS) through Eventsforce, to allow both Exhibitors and Delegates to register their attendance at the event.
This years DMS included two tailored registration forms, to capture specific and relevant details for both Exhibitors and Delegates separately.
Working with the client, it was decided that the following information would be shared across the platform, keeping attendees informed about the event:
• Event Agenda
• FAQs from previous events
• Venue information
• Exhibitor & speaker line-up
• Advertisement of sponsors
Once registration opened, Jenny & Sophie were able to provide the client with regular reports to update the organisers on the progress of the event. They also used the site to send personalised and branded emails to all registered parties with further updates and countdown reminders.
The Exhibitors were also supported throughout the process with direct communication with Jenny. As Exhibitors signed up to participate in the show, Jenny ensured that each Exhibitor received a welcome email and Exhibitor Pack full of key information. She continued to work closely with all Exhibiting organisations to coordinate upgrade requests, venue deliveries, social media tool kits and general queries.
As the event drew closer, a dedicated event app was launched. Designed in partnership with Crowd Comms, the objective of the application was to provide delegates and exhibitors with key information at their fingertips allowing them to maximise their engagement and engagement at the exhibition in a more sustainable way.
Each delegate had the ability to set-up a profile including photo, job title and social links along with a chat function to aid engagement with exhibitors, sponsors, supporters & speakers and schedule meetings throughout their day.
The app also aided quick and easy registration via a QR code on the ‘My Badge’ section of the app to avoid long queues and easy access to the agenda via the app with the option to create their own bespoke itinerary made planning your day super easy. Coupled with floorplans of the exhibition space and access to the ExCel Centre, delegates had everything they needed to plan their travel, who to visit, where and when all on their phone.
The application also allowed us to work with the client to provide important push notifications and gather instant, dedicated event feedback.
Client Kudos
OtherSuccess Stories
Want to see what else we’ve been up to? Take a look at some of our event creations for our clients.
Abbot Risk Consulting
Summer Conference
July 2019
Services
Event Planning, Conferences, Team Building, Entertainment
NHS Medical Conference
Educational Conference
December 2019
Services
Event Planning, Conferences
Star Refrigeration
Virtual 50th Anniversary Event
July 2019
Services
Conferences, Team Building
University of Edinburgh
Team Away Day
June 2019
Services
Team Building
Energy Company
Climate Change Awareness Gameshow
October 2019
Services
Team Building, Entertainment