Silverstone conference centre was the venue for this year's Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA) G50+Conference held on November 21st 2013. 120 delegates attended representing 60 companies. The ESSA G50+Conference has grown steadily over the last 6 years, and this year's conference showed no signs of diminishing that trend, being the largest to date and heralded as the best by many attendees.

Delegates arriving at The Silverstone Wing were able to hear, and participate in, a schedule of tightly focussed talks and activities from key industry experts, ESSA board members and key sponsors.

After registration, ESSA's chair Nick Marshall welcomed the delegates and thanked conference headline sponsor Towergate Coverex and Silverstone, ESSA's event venue partner for 2013. Chris Skeith, ESSA director, took to the podium and briefed the delegates on the day ahead before the conference got underway with a presentation from Kirstie Loveridge, vice president of HR from AEG Europe and The O2. Kirstie shared the lengths to which they go, to understand their customers and benchmark their successes to achieve a 5* rating from their visitors.

This was followed by a presentation from Rebecca Harris and Bryan Stott from Towergate Coverex, ESSA marketing partners and the headline sponsor of the G50. Rebecca and Bryan explained the importance of regular and comprehensive reviews of risk management, and included some very real and concrete examples to highlight the relevance to delegates.

After this close-up examination of risk management, Luke Facey, managing director of Alfa Displays and chair of ESSA's Stand Builder Forum, brought the conference up to date on the activities of the group and the progress made in representing this group with venues and organisers. One example of a change the group has enabled is the change in regs to allow battery powered LED lighting on exhibition stands.

The next address was given by Ben Brougham and Scott Seaman Digby from Hawtrey Dene, a cost reduction and procurement improvement consultancy. Both self-confessed “procurement nerds” Ben and Scott gave a fascinating and practical talk on getting the most out of procurement processes.

With appetites roused, delegates broke for a buffet lunch and investigated the expert 'clinics' zones where Towergate Coverex, Toyota Materials Handling UK, Vividink PR, FaceTime, ESSA's own Technical team, and Hawtrey Dene shared their expertise in informal Q&A sessions. Some delegates also tried the “Pit Stop Challenge”, where teams competed to change the tyres on a racing car in the shortest possible time, whilst others took a behind-the-scenes tour of the venue, seeing the winner’s podium, race control and pit garages.

Kim Myhre, Managing Partner of Brand Experience Group and ex-CEO of George. P. Johnson EMEA, kicked off the post lunch session. Kim presented a thought provoking view of the economic, technological and social trends in the industry, and how the industry should respond to the new opportunities and challenges presented.

The international panel session followed, chaired by Andy Gibb, MD of GES UK. In this session of industry experts including Piers Kelly - group operations director of Reed Exhibitions, Mariane Ewbank - IELA board member and Sarah Cox of Mayridge discussed, from an international perspective, the challenges and solutions to working in a global event environment.

The second ESSA focus came next and ESSA's vice chair, Andrew Kennedy, brought delegates up to date on the ESSA Strategy Sub Group's activities and the headlines from ESSA's first piece of qualitative research.

Roger Martin-Fagg is a well known business educator and economist turned strategist, and his incisive and illuminating keynote address drew on his extensive knowledge of behavioural economics. Both entertaining and informative, the presentation cut through the mystique of economics to deliver a very clear explanation of factors that directly impinge upon the economy and the events industry and it was described by one attendee as “genius”.

Chris Skeith then took to the lectern to sum up the proceedings and outline the evening's entertainment. Many delegates were staying over at the nearby SnoozeBox portable hotel, and event partners Vividink PR used their 4x4 press office to provide a shuttle service between the two before and after dinner.

Delegates sat down to evening dinner at 7pm after which there was time for networking and drinks, delegates were also invited to team up and participate in the first part of the Octonorm sponsored “ScaleESSAtric Challenge”, where teams raced against each other, not on the famous track, but with much smaller and less noisy slot-cars.

Nick Marshall, ESSA chair and executive chair of GES EMEA commented, "I would like to congratulate ESSA on an excellent day. The secretariat team delivered an exceptional event once again, and I am sure that the feedback from those attending will support my view that it was the best G50+Conference to date."

ESSA would also like to thank all of its event partners, Toyota Material Handling UK, ASP, Aztec Event Services, FaceTime, Freeman, GES, Octanorm, Perton Signs & VividInk.

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