Hello… Stand Out is back after a short summer break. I had an interesting few weeks on the road, none more so than experiencing Strudelfest, a small yet perfectly formed festival in the Austrian Alps that paid homage to the pastry delicacy. Events, by their very nature, are interesting things, but they are all the more intriguing when you begin to delve into the organisational skills of your European counterparts.
Whilst away I did find it somewhat amusing to hear the continuous ting from my Blackberry, informing me of Twitter notifications. Even 2,000 feet above sea level, in a cable car, the temptation to check messages is too strong.

Social media is an immensely powerful tool but the instant and “always there” nature of the medium can be almost draining, particularly when it’s obvious that someone, somewhere is talking about you and your brand. Just what exactly are they saying.
But the subject of Twitter was the very topic of one session at last month’s ESSA G50, a gathering of 50 influential heavyweights from the event supplier and services industries. It was the first time that press had been allowed to attend, as in previous years it was felt that our presence may stifle an open dialogue. But it didn’t.

The event raised some interesting questions: When will suppliers be confident to return to pre-recession charges? Are too many businesses sticking to knitting what they know, rather than diversifying and capitalising on opportunities that come their way? Thankfully, the delegates rather welcomed the opportunity to chat to members of the press, and divulged snippits of information. Melville’s Nick Marshall admitted that the largest benefit of joining forces with GES was having access to its’ capital. ExCeL’s Kevin Murphy revealed that he has been in Vancouver pitching the idea of an Olympic festival and Quinton Watts, VP marketing of software company, ESET, gave an honest account of what he thought of Reed Exhibitions and its treatment of exhibitors at InfoSec. Watts gave an open insight into how he viewed events and it was refreshing to hear such an honest account, revealing Reed’s bullish attitude towards rebooking.

Stand Out is always looking for honest opinion so if you have an interesting story email caroline@cimltd.co.uk

Happy reading,