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Just when you thought there were too many events industry exhibitions along comes Single Market Events’ RSVP, proving that not only can the market sustain another one but that the new kid on the block now appears to be the one to watch.
In its second year RSVP 06 saw a 30 per cent increase in visitors (4700 CAB audited), and a 50 per cent increase in exhibitors. And many of the new exhibitors were not venue operators – a fact not lost on visitors, many of whom were also seeking event product suppliers.

RSVP 06 was held at Wharf 8 in Sydney on July 19 and 20 and included a heady mix of exhibition, seminars and live entertainment, providing visitors with a wealth of options once they had arrived at the centre. Those who didn’t pre-book seminars may have been disappointed because the majority were sold out prior to the start of the event.

According to Single Market Events, of the 4700 corporate and party planners who attended RSVP 06 50 per cent indicated their event budgets exceeded more than $250,000 per year and 20 per cent said they spend in excess of $1 million on events annually.

Strong business
Early indications from exhibitors at the time of going to press were on the whole positive. Coyote International Management’s Debbie Carr said she had experienced a phenomenal two days at RSVP 06, telling mice.net she had somewhere in the vicinity of 200 phone calls to follow up as a direct result of the show.

Nick Hannaford of Hannaford Events said his company had received some strong leads and he believed the quality of the people coming through the doors was extremely high.

“The vibe and energy at RSVP 06 was great,” he said.
First-time exhibitor at RSVP 06 and Sydney on Sale (see page 18) Miramare Gardens, found both events positive, but were less than complimentary about RSVP 06.
“They attracted two very different clientele,” said conference and events manager at Miramare Gardens, Julia Lorenti.

“I thought both shows were successful for us. Being a new business it is important to get our name out there. The crowd at Sydney on Sale was definitely a more corporate crowd.
“The quality was not there with the people who came to RSVP. What I found more at RSVP were there were a lot of people in the industry who hadn’t booked expo stands and were trying to push their products onto us as an exhibitor. I was telling them that they should have booked their own booth.
“We didn’t get that at all at Sydney on Sale. The people we spoke to were more quality rather than quantity.”
Paulette Crowder from encore BT, who visited the show on the second day, said it was by far the most educational in terms of events and event management that she had ever seen.
“It’s the best one I’ve seen anywhere because it’s focused on events, styling and lighting… all the things that make up the wow [of events],” she said.
“We learnt a lot of new things and saw a lot of new things. Because the suppliers are strictly involved in the events industry there wasn’t an oversupply of exhibitors who are not directly involved in the industry. And that’s a good thing.”

Coca Cola Amatil internal communications manager, Kate Redfern, was very impressed with RSVP 06.
“It was well put together and the exhibitors were of a very high quality,” she said.
“I got the names of suppliers who I will use for future events and I will definitely go again next year.”
Exhibitor Glen Lehman of Lehman and Associates also found the show worthwhile.
“RSVP 06 was really good for us, not only for the re-affirmation of our brand name in the market but also to make contact with new corporate contacts,” he said.
“The second day was a bit annoying because of the number of ‘suppliers’ to the industry doing the exhibition and handing out business cards and collateral, when in fact they should have been exhibitors.
“We certainly have signed up to participate in RSVP 07 in Sydney and we are considering participation in Melbourne also. This expo is the right ‘fit’ for us.”
First-time exhibitor Ian Walsh of G1 Productions says that from a production house perspective he went to RSVP 06 to spread the word about his new business and become reacquainted with old clients.
“And from a production house perspective you don’t really go to get a whole heap of leads,” he said.
“After the first day I was a bit concerned because it was quieter than I thought it was going to be and the hall I was in was quite cold. There didn’t seem to be the flow of people in that area of the exhibition hall. But it got busier on the second day and we did have some solid leads.

“I ran into someone I hadn’t seen for five years who had just come back into the corporate market in a communications role. Since RSVP I’ve had two meetings with this person to discuss how we can work together in the future.
“It’s good to have an exhibition that is dedicated to events compared to an AIME or a Sydney on Sale that appears to be trying to get people to a destination rather than focusing on the event itself.
“I hope it [RSVP] doesn’t become flooded with hotels [exhibiting] and lose its focus in the future.”

RSVP Melbourne will be held on May 9 and 10, 2007, at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Next year’s RSVP in Sydney will be held on July 18 and 19.