International Confex has been and gone for 2019 but unlike last year (think Beast from the East), we were blessed with unseasonably warm weather which was amplified considerably by the striking glass architecture of the Olympia’s iconic Grand Hall.

Confex attracts hundreds of event professionals and this year’s was no exception. Occupying stand F35C, the Identity team engaged in countless conversations with a wide variety of attendees and other exhibitors, discussing everything from venue-hire and digital marketing to trends in the industry and who designed & built our stand (it was us).

Throughout the event, the Identity stand was consistently on the receiving end of praise and kind words with several attendees commenting on how contemporary the stand looked and that it stood out among the others (while that’s always the aim of any stand we design, it’s always nice to hear).

The Identity stand occupied a 9msq area and featured a 4m tall rustic wooden totem with a 55″ 4K display, a lightbox and a counter with ample storage and separate stools. The entire project was handled in-house, from design through to build.

If you missed Confex this year, check out our brief highlights below:

During the event we ran a competition to win an Amazon Echo Spot, we’ll announce the winner shortly.

While the main focus of Confex may be connecting with new and existing clients, it also provides us with an opportunity to unearth issues and subsequent solutions within the live-events industry.

As is common among most industries, a key theme around live-events and experiential is the use of technology – here at Identity our ethos is to not include tech for the sake of it, so the ‘right’ implementation of technology can pose a challenge.

Alas, there was no shortage of tech and gadgets on display with drones, projection mapping systems, robotics, holograms, monster displays, bubble machines and food/drink tech all present and correct at Confex. While the aforementioned technology won’t necessarily fit each and every project or event, it does highlight the tremendous potential with live-events and experiential to really push the boundaries of engagement.

The wealth of technology and experiential ideas on show was great to see – reinforcing the need to think carefully about the customer-journey and consistent ways in which they’ll engage with your brand, wherever they find it. Just remember an engaging experience is more than an exciting piece of tech.

So, would we describe Confex 2019 as a success? Absolutely. It’s always refreshing to see a. how exhibitors (even competitors) present themselves and the strategies/nuances used to engage with delegates and b. how delegates actually interpret, react and engage with them.

Using technology to encourage engagement with your brand is just one arrow in an quiver of ideas which, when used together in the right way (and at the right time) really work to improve the customer experience.

If you’d like to discuss any events or experiential with us, please email: letstalk@identitygroup.co.uk or give us a call on +44 (0)1323 469111 – we’d love to chat!