While the string of MICE industry tradeshows that fill our calendars are generally well put together, smooth-running and successful in building business and contacts, often they lack the ability to create an atmosphere of inspiration – which, let’s face it, shouldn’t be the case when this industry is supposed to thrive on creativity and enlightening experiences.
The organisers of RSVP 07 have seemingly picked up on this point, and have decided to make amends by providing an exhibition that is actually, dare I say it, fun to attend.
Whether organisers set out with an objective of producing an atmosphere thick with smiles, I don’t know, but they certainly did hit the nerves, or should I say the funny bones, of visitors and exhibitors alike during May when they staged the inaugural RSVP Melbourne.
Specifically catering for corporate and special events, RSVP has been running for several years in Sydney. This year, RSVP set up shop in Victoria’s capital city for the first time, and enticed more than 3370 corporate event and party organisers to the two-day event – a headcount which pleased exhibitors hailing from various areas of the events industry.
Held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, RSVP Melbourne carried a buzz that was more akin to that of a party rather than an exhibition. A throng of roving entertainers wandered the aisles throughout the event, while the bite tasting initiative saw plates of tasty nibbles circling about the crowds courtesy of the many caterers who had taken up stands.
The lively and spacious exhibition was paired with the Talks Theatre, featuring topics of interest presented and discussed by attention-grabbing speakers. Special touches such as the Oh de Toilette powder rooms and the numerous “rest” areas around the expo did not go unappreciated.
Exhibitors did well to add to the colourful atmosphere of the event, pulling out all the stops when designing, building and dressing their stands. In fact, many visitors commented that RSVP Melbourne was the best looking exhibition they’d ever attended due to the impressive visual impact of exhibitors’ booths.
Showcasing a range of products and services, from corporate gifts and catering to audio-visual and entertainment, exhibitors were primarily Victoria-based, with a handful of businesses travelling from Sydney and Brisbane to showcase their wares and services to buyers in Melbourne.
Visitors commented that there was a good variety of products and services on show, and with many exhibitors being small businesses, buyers often found themselves speaking to a company’s owner, which many said added a personal touch to the experience.
By and large, feedback from visitors on the event was very positive.
Armed with the task of organising the Melbourne Anime Festival’s first ever fancy dress ball, sponsorship and publicity manager, Avi Bernshaw was more than impressed with what RSVP had to offer him by way of ideas and inspiration.
“I’m here looking for a few audio-visual companies and florists – for the first time in eight years of running the Anime Festival, we’ve decided to do a fancy dress ball, and a fancy dress ball requires some fancy flowers!”
Ecstatic to find everything he was looking for in the one place, Mr Bernshaw said he was bowled over by both the quality of exhibitors and the overall appearance of the show.
“The show is quite involving, and I was amazed at how great it looks. I go to a lot of large events and tradeshows, and I’m not sure if it’s the organisers, a sponsorship deal or the convention centre itself that’s gone all out, but everything here really looks fantastic. I haven’t seen a single dodgy booth!”
Also impressed with the show, chief executive of sports, marketing and entertainment company Globol Entertainment, Victor Barichello said it was better late than never that RSVP finally made its way to Melbourne in 2007.
“We’re based in Melbourne, and have an event that we eventually want to tour around the world. So something like RSVP is wonderful because we can go through and basically tour the event with what we find at the show.”
Deciding not to exhibit at RSVP Melbourne in its inaugural year, Music for the Masses proprietor, Glen McBride, went along as a visitor, keen to suss out the event.
“We decided to sit this one out and see how it went, and I figured it would be a good networking opportunity to attend as a visitor. But having now been here, I think I can say that in the future we will probably exhibit. I’m suitably impressed.”
Mr McBride arrived at the event for the official opening, and found himself still wandering about the exhibition four-and-a-half hours later.
“From a business-to-business point of view, it’s a good opportunity to catch up with everyone in one space. Every second stand I’ve passed, I’ve bumped into someone I know and spent 20 minutes chatting with them – that’s why I’ve been here so long!”
There were a number of booths at the show that not only looked amazing, but were also entertaining and innovative in their design. One example was The Big Group’s stand which was creatively divided into three sections – a showcase of sweets, cakes and biscuits displaying the exhibitor’s culinary skills, a fully-equipped working kitchen where an assortment of delights were being baked, and an area for showcasing their portfolio of venues.
Epicure Catering’s booth was also a standout, dressed as a modern kitchen, complete with a bench, stools and utensils. Along with displaying their brand new logo, Epicure were offering up little pot plants of herbs – oregano, thyme, mint and rosemary – plus they added some spice to their stand with a living garden full of chillies.
Solution RED impressed visitors with a unique experience, the concept for which was developed after six months of brainstorming, research and development. The end result was a huge red box providing inspiration of what Solution RED can deliver to any event. Sitting 3.6 metres high, the seven-by-six-metre red box created so much intrigue on the first day of the show that a booking system had to be implemented with a two-hour wait list. Visitors received a text message four minutes prior to the commencement of the next “journey”. In groups of four, they entered through the Solution RED cogs into the box to discover a unique audio-visual and themeing encounter inside.
Solution RED also sponsored the Talks Theatre, designing the room like a TV studio set. The clean white stage was complete with a gauze set, lit theatrically with LED lighting. Managing director of RSVP organiser, Single Market Events, Richard Wright was thrilled with the set-up, saying it was the best Talks Theatre the event ever had.
He also mentioned that RSVP Melbourne has secured dates for next year, and will be returning to the city on May 14-15 at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
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