There are many aspects to the business of the fashion industry, but none as integral as the practice of tradeshows. Here we learn about what’s coming for the industry—through seminars, demonstrations and showcases of the latest innovations and networking with designers and manufacturers, we’re able to gain insight on trends and products for the upcoming season. Organizing a fashion tradeshow is no easy feat. However, in order to pull of a successful event, an immense amount of planning and organization is necessary.
Enter Exhibitshub.
Exhibitshub is transforming the production of tradeshows across all industries, with its ingenious sharing-based system and generous slew of services offered to its clients. The company works similarly to, say, Airbnb, in that it provides a platform for those looking to put on a tradeshow with a simple means of booking events. With an extensive collection of custom exhibits across the country, Exhibitshub lets clients easily reserve spaces that meet their criteria and provides services that not only cut planning time down exponentially but help rebrand and have the space show-ready in 48 hours. Fashion Mannuscript sat down with company founder, Christopher Kappes, to discuss how Exhibitshub can serve as a catalyst to a better, more efficient tradeshow future.
You compare Exhibitshub to sharing services like Lyft and Airbnb—how does Exhibitshub fit in with the sharing economy?
Like Lyft, Airbnb, Zipcar and others sharing model pioneers, Exhibitshub is creating a sharing marketplace model for a large industry—trade shows—that has never considered the possibility. While consumer models are best known and most prevalent, Exhibitshub is tailored to a business audience who now expect “fast, easy, on-demand access for less,” based upon their sharing economy experience as a consumer. The key to making this exchange work is providing online access to quality inventory in key exhibition cities and a network of top exhibit firms who warehouse and service the exhibit user from booking to rebranding and show services. We’re bringing together demand and supply where owners earn income when sharing their exhibits and exhibitors save money borrowing. Further, where the supply chain can gain new clients and revenue. It’s a win-win for all.
When did you identify that there was a need for this sort of system in the tradeshow world?
Three decades of trade show and business experience. A student of sharing economy marketplaces. An admirer of Blue Ocean Strategy.
Candidly, there’s tremendous expense and waste in the trade show industry.
Consider this: Thousands of exhibits sit idle in warehouses across the country, depreciating in value and incurring storage fees for their owners while 49 percent of businesses don’t exhibit because of the cost to do so. Corporate budgets to exhibit have been flat for a decade. Expenses to exhibit is going through the roof (floor space has increased 300 percent over the past decade) resulting in low or no exhibitor growth. Trade shows are recognized as a significant environmental polluter. The realities of the industry demand a new model.
I understand part of the Exhibitshub experience is the full rebranding and delivering of show-ready spaces with the help of exhibit firms. How does this work? Who is involved in this process?
Visiting the site, exhibitors select a city, type and size of exhibit and perform a quick search for an exhibit that meets this criterion. The magic happens next: the site is programmed to match the criteria with exhibits in inventory. The exhibitor can open an exhibit file, read about it and reserve it. At this point, a design reservation request is created, emailed to Exhibitshub and the local exhibit firm warehousing the exhibit. In approximately 48 hours, the exhibitor receives a preliminary design and pricing proposal that includes proposed renderings and pricing based upon online chat and discussions between the exhibitor and exhibit firm. The exhibitor has one week to book the exhibit and all payment is made through our electronic payment platform. Once the booking is made, exhibit firms perform the exhibit make-ready, transport the exhibit locally and handle all show services for a turnkey all-inclusive budget.
Do you see this system as the future of tradeshows? Are there any drawbacks to the service that could prevent it from dominating the tradeshow industry?
Change is inevitable. Who could have predicted the potential of Airbnb, Lyft, Uber and others, just seven years ago? Being altruistic, I’d like to think that Exhibitshub becomes a catalyst for positive trade show industry change and in the process successful. Driving change is difficult; domination isn’t even in my vernacular or anywhere in my thought process.
I see you are partnered with OneTreePlanted, and for every exhibit booked through the service a new tree will be planted as one of the non-profit’s reforestation projects. How did you become involved with this non-profit?
We are a sponsor of OneTreePlanted because our respective causes are aligned: reforestation of the globe to create a healthier environment.
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about Exhibitshub?
Exhibitshub reflects the philosophy of Kate Raworth in her book, “Doughnut Economics.” We must rethink economics focused on reusability. Regenerating trade show exhibits is one approach to advancing this important philosophy.
