EPISODE 3

Beyond the Buzzword
What Innovation Really Means for the Exhibition Industry

Innovation appears in almost every strategy and conference programme, but the word can mean almost anything. Is it a new material, a clever technology, artificial intelligence, a more sustainable process or a different business model? More importantly, does it solve a problem that matters?

In Episode 3 of Beyond the Booth, host Lee Ali is joined by Stefan Trieb, CEO of mac. brand spaces, and Jörg Zeissig, CEO of Holtmann Plus and President of IFES. Together, they examine whether the exhibition industry is genuinely transforming or mainly adapting to pressures created elsewhere.

Stefan reflects on how the fundamental function of an exhibition stand has changed less than its appearance, while Jörg argues that the industry’s greatest opportunity lies in connecting the dots across the wider ecosystem. Their discussion identifies persistent gaps between organisers, venues, service providers, exhibitors and suppliers, along with the lost time, money and insight created by fragmented communication and data.

The guests also consider how social media has changed exhibition design and global brand programmes, why exhibitors often struggle to define success, and why the industry needs stronger ways to communicate value. They discuss sustainability standards, rising labour and resource costs, the difficulty of proving performance without access to the right data and the commercial risk of competing primarily on price.

Artificial intelligence receives a balanced assessment. Both guests see clear benefits in visualisation, analytics and process efficiency, but caution against treating AI as a substitute for human creativity, judgement or the emotional purpose of live experiences.

The result is a direct and practical conversation about the future of exhibition businesses: the need to ask better questions, package services more intelligently, create a culture that supports experimentation and move from reactive adaptation towards purposeful transformation.

Key Topics

• Why innovation has become an industry buzzword
• The difference between new features and meaningful innovation
• Exhibitions as platforms for human connection
• How social media changed stand design and global programmes
• Defining success from the exhibitor and visitor perspective
• Connecting organisers venues exhibitors suppliers and service providers
• Data ownership access interpretation and performance measurement
• Sustainability standards and the limits of fragmented approaches
• Workforce shortages rising costs and the pressure to improve productivity
• Selling value and purpose instead of defending cost
• How AI supports visualisation analytics and internal processes
• Why creativity judgement and the human factor still matter
• Innovation as a leadership and cultural responsibility
• Adaptation compared with proactive transformation
• Lessons from technology gaming fashion and luxury brands
• The qualities the industry must protect as it changes

EPISODE 2

The Future of Exhibition Sales: Stop Selling Stands, Start Creating Value

What does the future of sales look like for exhibit builders?

That’s the question Lee Ali and Han Leenhouts tackle in Episode 2 of Beyond the Booth – Real Conversations with Exhibition Contractors.

The exhibition industry has changed. Clients are more informed, expectations are evolving, AI is transforming how quickly ideas and proposals can be produced, and competition remains intense.

Yet many exhibit builders are still selling in much the same way they have for years: receive the brief, create the design, submit the quotation and hope to win.

But when several companies can all produce an impressive design and deliver a quality stand, what makes one exhibit builder meaningfully different from another?

Lee and Han argue that the opportunity lies in changing the conversation.

Rather than beginning with architecture, materials and square metres, exhibit builders should first seek to understand the client’s objectives, stakeholders, challenges and desired outcomes.

That means asking better questions. Understanding the decision-making process. Being prepared to challenge the brief. Knowing when an opportunity isn’t right for your business. And sometimes having the confidence to say no.

The conversation also explores an important shift in positioning: from supplier to trusted adviser.

As Han explains, the stand may be the physical product the client receives, but the real value an exhibit builder can provide is much broader. Contractors can become “enablers of future business” by helping clients prepare properly, reduce risk, create better experiences and ultimately achieve more from their exhibition investment.

Lee and Han also explore the role of AI in the future sales process. If concepts, mood boards, proposals and information can increasingly be generated at speed, the ability to understand the customer, ask intelligent questions, build trust and provide genuine commercial insight may become even more valuable.

And perhaps one of the simplest examples of value comes down to something every exhibitor wants before the doors open: peace of mind.

A stand delivered properly and on time allows the client to stop worrying about the build and start concentrating on the reason they are actually there – doing business.

The message from Episode 2 is simple:

The future of exhibition sales isn’t about becoming better at selling stands. It’s about becoming better at understanding what clients are trying to achieve, bringing expertise to the table and creating value that competitors cannot easily copy.

Listen to Episode 2 of Beyond the Booth and join the conversation.

What should exhibit builders be doing differently to prepare their sales teams for the future?

EPISODE 1

The Next Generation: Who Builds the Future of Exhibitions?

The exhibition industry is facing a growing talent gap across fabrication, project management and onsite delivery. In the first episode of the IFES Podcast, Steve Deckel, Martijn Besaris and Dr. Sachel Josefson explore how the industry can attract, develop and retain the next generation of professionals.

From apprenticeships, education pathways and mentorship to AI, communication skills and the value of craftsmanship, this conversation looks at what it will take to make exhibition careers more visible, relevant and future-ready.

Because talent sustainability is industry sustainability.

“The exhibition industry doesn’t have a talent problem. It has a visibility problem.”