Housing 2021 was the fourth time Showcase worked on the award winning Chartered Institute of Housing’s annual conference and Europe’s leading housing festival. The live event took place in September 2021 at Manchester Central after 18 months of virtual discussions, debates and dialogue.
The client asked Showcase to design and build various stages and theatres for the exhibition which involved creating design visuals and CADS as well as project management. They were also responsible for supporting the technical elements of the event such as managing the digital signage. They were also tasked with the live streaming for the hybrid element, which included preparing and managing the speakers.Showcase was briefed with supplying exhibition stands and equipment for exhibitors.The client was also keen to have all stages being as sustainable as possible. This involved using recycled materials for the build and using existing furniture from Showcase’s own collection.
Showcase worked with the client to create and build a number of exhibition stages and theatres including: Keynote, Masterclass, Best Practice, Future of Living, Knowledge Theatre, Insight Theatre, Fringe, Net Zero and Digital Futures. For these they designed, produced and supplied: graphics, video screens, sound systems and furniture.Regarding the live stream, Showcase’s experience and expertise in this specialist skill came into play. When it was time to stream the now ex Secretary Of State For Housing Robert Jenrick from London, they needed to remain calm and draw on their technical skills, as unfortunately he was late and the team had only minutes to spare before he went live. To make life easier for the delegates to order their stand furniture, Showcase created and built a pre-exhibition order form, with support, on- line. However thanks to Showcase’s experience in this type of event, they were able to assist delegates with last minute orders when items had been forgotten. In total Showcase worked on Housing 2021 with a team of 40 for three days build, the three days of the show itself and a six-hours derig.
“ We have a long-standing relationship with Housing 2021 organiser Ocean Media Group, so the event is always an important date in our calendar, even more so this year, thanks to our industry’s return to live events. Proud to announce that the event was deemed a huge success by our client, also very proud of our team, who after all the disruption and difficulties of the past 18 months, surpassed themselves in how they dealt with the new pressures that COVID brings to live events.”
Dave Harding Lyle, Strategic Account Director, Showcase
Railsbank, who deliver a seamless API product to companies through a technology platform that moves past the legacy issues, exhibited at Money 20/20. Money20/20 is the world’s leading, premium content, sales and connections platform for the global money ecosystem.
Showcase were asked by Railsbank to design and build a groundbreaking exhibition stand. They discussed with Showcase the why / who / how they were attending and what they wanted from their exhibition stand design. This conversation formed the basis of the design brief. The discussion revealed that their partners QNTMPAY sponsor McLaren, which gave rise to the idea that having a 2020 Formula 1 McLaren car on their exhibition stand, would be a real draw for the delegates.
The design and build of the exhibition stand where meetings, demos of products and data capture would take place, needed to match the standards set by the Formula 1 car. A 2.6mm 5m x 3m LED screen was chosen as centre point for displaying infomercials, high impact attention grabbing videos of McClaren racing and Railsbank advertisements. With F1 comes Champagne, so Showcase designed a bespoke Champagne bar & fridge with an acrylic housing to display signed racing helmets and other prizes to draw delegates to the stand.
There were four information points to demo products and run videos that were IPAD controlled. The main focal point was the flooring; Showcase created an acrylic LED halo effect floor which illuminated the Railsbank logo. To create a ‘party atmosphere’ during networking drinks, Showcase provided the appropriate audio equipment, this was also used for the audio for video playback and car sound effects to add atmosphere.
