Simplifying the Exhibitor Experience at New Scientist Live

New Scientist Live is one of the UK’s most engaging science festivals, held annually at Excel London. Bringing together over 90 exhibitors alongside world-leading scientists, academics and live demonstrations, the event is designed to inspire curiosity and showcase the very latest in scientific discovery.

With a diverse exhibitor base, including many first-time exhibitors, the event team behind New Scientist Live is focused on making the exhibitor experience as clear, seamless and supportive as possible. For Henry Gomm, Head of Product Delivery, that meant rethinking how exhibitors accessed information, completed tasks and prepared for the show.

“Our goal has always been to make the exhibitor experience as smooth and intuitive as possible. We work with a lot of smaller exhibitors, many of whom are new to exhibiting, so clarity and simplicity are absolutely essential to help them have a successful show. 

Historically, we were relying on a traditional exhibitor manual alongside multiple supplier platforms. The feedback we consistently received was that exhibitors found it confusing and struggled to know where to go, what to do and when to do it. Even after investing time in improving the language and structure of our exhibitor manual, the challenge remained that exhibitors were still being sent to multiple places to complete different tasks.

Our event operations agency recommended FFAIR, and we quickly realised it was the exhibitor management platform we needed.

What stood out with FFAIR was the ability to create a true one-stop shop. Instead of just presenting information, it gives exhibitors a single place where they can access everything they need and actually complete their orders and tasks in one platform. That shift has been key in reducing friction and helping exhibitors focus on delivering great stands and activations, rather than getting caught up in pre-event admin. 

Since implementing FFAIR, we’ve seen a clear improvement in the pre-show experience for exhibitors. Our exhibitor survey results show an uplift in satisfaction and it’s fair to say the platform has contributed to improvements in both overall satisfaction and NPS. It’s helped us move closer to our goal of making the process as seamless as possible.

Looking ahead, we see FFAIR playing an even bigger role in our exhibitor strategy. We’re now working towards making it the central hub for everything - integrating website profile updates, show guide information, and more - so exhibitors truly only need to go to one place. Reducing those touchpoints is key to removing confusion and improving the overall experience.

My initial concern was how much downtime there would be while we trained on the new platform. I needn’t have worried as the platform has been straightforward to implement and easy to use. The FFAIR team has also been incredibly flexible and responsive. It feels like working with people who really understand events and are invested in helping you get the most out of the platform.

Ultimately, FFAIR has helped us simplify a complex process. It’s enabled us to provide a much clearer, more joined-up experience for our exhibitors and that has a direct impact on the success of the event as a whole.”