Exhibition Venues Profile: Kent Showground

In the South-East area of the UK, apart from the various exhibition venues in London, another option is the Kent Showgrounds.

Although primarily used for agricultural and outdoor shows, Kent Showgrounds have started to host a variety of exhibitions and fairs including the:

• Autumn Garden Show
• National Fruit Show
• Wedding Experience
• Crafts for Christmas

The venue has 4 buildings/pavilions for Exhibitions, in addition to conference rooms and the main showgrounds. If the exhibition you are organising can benefit greatly from outdoor space then Kent Showgrounds is the kind of venue which might suit you more than a fully indoor exhibition venue.

You can learn more about the Exhibition space at Kent Showgrounds online. Also need outdoor graphics and exhibition stands?

Exhibition Venues Profile: Edinburgh Royal Highland Centre

Scotland has a couple of excellent exhibition venues with the SECC (Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre) and the Aberdeen Exhibition Centre. There is another venue though which is becoming popular with exhibition organisers and attendees: The Royal Highland Centre.

The Royal Highland Centre, situated in Newbridge Edinburgh, is right next to Edinburgh international airport, making this venue extremely handy. With excellent facilities including several exhibition halls, accommodation, banqueting and up-to-date I.T. and communications access, people are warming to this venue.

Events in 2009 at the Royal Highland Centre include the Scottish:

• Home Improvement & Self Build Show
• Quilt Fair
• Motorcycle Show
• Wedding Show

For 2009, the Edinburgh Festival will also use the Royal Highland as one of the venues. For more information about the Royal Highland Exhibition Centre, you can go to royalhighlandcentre.co.uk online.

Hampton Court Flower Show 2009

It is almost that time again when Wimbledon tennis tournament starts, Glastonbury Music Festival takes place and of course, the annual Hampton Court Flower Show begins.

Although an event which largely takes place in the outdoors and not in one of the main exhibitions centres of venues, this show attracts a number of exhibitors and vendors. For garden lovers, this is a wonderful event to attend each summer.

Organised by the Royal Horticultural Society, this years show takes place between the 7th-12th July at Hampton Court Palace (situated in East Molesey, Surrey). The show this time will also include more focus on ecology and organic growth. Special features at the show include the:

• Garden Energy - focusing on sustainable growing.
• Catwalk in bloom - an interesting combination of fashion and flowers.
• Main show gardens - which are vast and are the highlight of the annual show.
• Plant Heritage Marquee

Apart from Chelsea Flower Show and BBC Gardeners World, Hampton Court is the main gardening festival of the annual events and exhibition calendar. What makes this show especially exciting though is the venue, with Hampton Court Palace a wonderful venue which is worth visiting in its own right.

Tickets for the show are available online from the official website. If you need any advice on exhibition and display stands for the event, then Clip Display Ltd also have an online presence and can help you.

Exhibitions News updates: Online articles

A number of new articles are now live online covering a number of areas associated with the Exhibitions industry. New titles online include:

• A Guide to the Montpellier - Parc Des Expositions
• A guide to London Fashion week
• A Guide to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Center
• Exhibition Advice and Tips: Do not forget that you can still sign up for Exhibition Advice and Tips.

There are a number of files you can download to learn about exhibiting and also How not to Exhibit.

Exhibitions in Hong Kong: Country Spotlight

For part 2 of our country spotlight we stay in Asia and take a look at Hong Kong and exhibitions. Hong Kong is another excellent venue which provides the perfect location for people coming from Europe and Australia with its geographical location several hours closer than Japan and Australia to Europe, but still nicely placed for Australasian visitors.

Hong Kong is also able to provide world class facilities with the purpose built Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, which is familiar with holding world class events and exhibitions. Hong Kong also though boast several other options with venues including AsiaWorld, the Grand Hyatt and the Four Seasons Hotel. All of these venues are used as exhibition venues although certainly the main venue is the HK CEC.

The Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre holds a hundred plus exhibition annually and some of the larger events include the:

• Health ExpoRetail
• AsiaNatural products Expo
• Business and Design Week

One of the most impressive things about the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre is the location. Sat beside the bay, the venue provides excellent views, especially in the evenings. The venue itself also has seven exhibition halls and all of the facilities one would expect for large international events.

Detailed information on the main exhibition centre can be found via http://www.hkcec.com.hk/. Looking for exhibitions stands for Asia?

The BBC Good Food Show 2009 – in Birmingham’s NEC

There are some exhibitions which we go to for business only and some for pleasure only. Some shows though can combine both and the BBC Good Food Show is one of those events which is a pleasure to have to attend. Being surrounded by delicious foods, having the chance to do food tastings and generally having the chance to learn about a variety of world foods is fun for most people.

The Good Food Show takes place annually and at different venues throughout the year. Coming between the 10th and 14th June though is the Birmingham NEC version of the show. As with previous Good Food Shows, there will be an impressive number of things going on at the event. The show for example this year includes sections dedicated to the:

• Live Food Theatre
• Grow Your Own food area
• World Beers section
• Main exhibitions area

This is a real dynamic show with a number of expert chefs on site, with exhibitors and suppliers from around the world and covering world cuisine. You can learn more information direct via bbcgoodfoodshowsummer.com

Exhibitions in Singapore: Country Spotlight (Part 1)

Singapore is a country which has a very interesting location in terms of world and international exhibitions, with Singapore ideally located between Australia/NZ, Europe and Asia. Singapore is more practical than Australia for European exhibition organisers and exhibitors and still very practical for Asia and European visitors or exhibitions, making this a perfect location in many respects as opposed to less central places.

The main venue in Singapore is the ‘SUNTEC Singapore International Exhibition and Conference Centre’ and this venue has excellent facilities and is a nice place to attend an exhibition.

The SUNTEC venue holds a number of international and large exhibitions and shows such as the PC ShowGifts and Premium Fair and the Singapore International Jewellery Show. One of the things which stands out immediately when exhibiting here is just how polite people are. As an exhibition organiser it is great to experience the desire of the staff to help and willingness to do anything to make one happy.

The venue covers over one hundred thousand square meters and this means that the exhibition halls can accommodate up to a total of ten thousand visitors. The thing that I like most about the venue is that like most places in Singapore, the venue is very central and thus close to the hotels, restaurants and getting to and from the venue is straight forward.

Exhibitions Information and guides online

Exhibition News updates: Several more Exhibition articles are now online covering a number of subjects and which might well be of interest to you. Some choice titles:

• 10 Exhibitions to attend in New Zealand
• A Guide to the Montpellier - Parc des Expositions
• A Guide to London Fashion Week
• Guide to the annual Plasa Exhibition
• A guide to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

For the Diary: Do not forget that the BBC Good Food Show takes place at the end of next week at Birmingham's NEC exhibition Centre. This is an excellent show for trying different foods, attending some excellent workshops and being around food.

Saving money in a recession: A quick reminder that the UK based Exhibition Stands specialists, Clip Ltd, now sell Exhibition stands online. To buy Exhibition Stands online and save up to 40% you can visit http://www.clipdisplay.com/