Following a tough year financially and postponement of its 2010 London show, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) cancelled the British International Motor Show outright.

As every generation ages, there comes a moment when the younger and more energetic individuals say: “Thanks guys, you’ve been great and everything but we’ll take it from here. We’re hipper, funnier, more attractive and frankly you old farts just don’t get it anymore.”

New events are back on the agenda as exhibition organisers look to strengthen their portfolios and leave the economic downturn behind. But industry development doesn’t stop at the organiser’s door. UK venues are also ramping up investment plans and fine-tuning their exhibition strategies to ensure further growth.

There are three general types of co-location: Coincidental, same-organiser and different-organiser. In the first case, an organiser might ignore the other show, or may work out a ticket deal for visiting both shows if the visitor demographic is compatible.

In May, Tarsus Group joined a host of UK organisers putting their flags in Turkish sand by acquiring Istanbul Fair Organisation (IFO).

The UK exhibition industry is arguably the country’s most insecure marketing medium. We’re constantly on the defensive. So much energy goes into defending exhibitions and justifying them as a way of doing business, yet many of us refuse to audit our shows. And we put in all this effort only to have an unprepared and uninformed exhibitor cut us down for not being effective enough.

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