Talking Property

The client

We served the needs of 25 exhibitor companies in planning, promoting and organising the Talking Property event. The free two-day show brought together all of these local businesses, each of which plays a different role in the local property market. Exhibitors ranged from solicitors, financial advisers and property developers to interior designers, property presentation experts, specialist building companies and estate agent Jones Robinson, our client who asked us to implement the project.

Their needs

The aim of the show was to attract people with an active interest in increasing the potential of their properties. Most of the exhibitors were interested in taking part because it gave them a platform to engage homeowners directly. After 10 years of operations in Newbury, Jones Robinson also saw it as an opportunity to pool the knowledge and expertise of local property experts and give something back to the town.

What we did

We helped Jones Robinson to define the type of exhibitor that would support the theme of the show, and then we helped to recruit them: companies that we saw could offer products and services of significant quality, and whose knowledge and expertise could help the target audience to increase the potential of their biggest asset. We wanted to encourage exhibitors to work together and share ideas, so we were careful not to sign up companies that were offering identical products and services.

Alongside selling the idea to high-profile local property experts, we helped to specify the format for the show, and organised a programme of seminars that would be consistent with the theme of the exhibition and interesting to the target audience that we wanted to attract. Popular presentations included ‘Presenting your property for sale – can you afford not to?’ by consultants from Ann Maurice House Doctor Network, ‘The smoothest route to planning permission’ by West Berkshire Council, ‘Profiting from your house and land’ by Renaissance and ‘Value by design’ by Inspiration Architects.

We promoted the show heavily, using the free seminars to entice early registrations, and persuading exhibitors to hold prize draws and offer discounted consultations to stand visitors. Our communications mix included an exhibition website, door-drop leaflets, posters, regular newspaper ads, PR coverage and a pullout supplement in the Newbury Weekly News, and articles in Talking Property, our free email newsletter that offers advice on moving home and enhancing property and provides updates on the state of the market. To bring all of this to life, we worked closely with our partner company MAXX Design, who also organised the shell scheme and furniture for the stands.

The results

The event was a big success: hundreds of people descended upon the Newbury Corn Exchange, hoping to discover new ways to enhance their homes, and to get local experts’ free financial and legal advice on selling homes. Visitors said that on a scale from one to five, the likelihood of them following up with one of the exhibitors was 4.1. “Good to see such a variety of exhibitors,” commented one visitor. “Great collection of people,” said another. “Helpful to have all appropriate advice under one roof,” one visitor remarked.

The feedback forms that we collected suggest people found the event was definitely worth the visit. They rated it highly: the average ratings for the exhibition, the free seminars and the show as a whole were all 4/5. Many commented that the show was “excellent”.

Feedback from the exhibitors was similarly enthusiastic. Lucy Inskip, Ann Maurice House Doctor Network, said, “We had a very productive couple of days and have a lot of leads to follow up. The organisation was extremely efficient, the marketing of the event significant and impactful and I thought the overall result was very professional.” Duncan Crook of Renaissance called it “a fantastic idea well executed”, while Chris Humphries, Humphries Stonemasons, found it “very enjoyable”. Gill Vaughan, of Gill Vaughan Garden Design, said it was “very well organised” and “useful for networking”.

Our view

Jones Robinson couldn’t have known in advance that the exhibition would be successful. Hosting it was a risky decision: as well as being the first of its kind, it was held at Newbury’s most prestigious venue, the Corn Exchange, and there were no guarantees that enough relevant companies would be interested in taking part. As it happened, we managed to attract 25 local businesses who recognised the show’s potential, and whose motivation gave it the momentum it needed.

Full list of participants: Ann Maurice House Doctor Network, Applewood of Newbury, Bang & Olufsen, Dream Gardens, Everest, Gardner Leader, Gill Vaughan Garden Design, GL Wood Creations, Griffins, Hartwood Oak Buildings, Homelodge, Horsey Lightly, Humphries Stonemasons, Inspiration Architects, J Finance, Jones Robinson, Newbury Building Society, Newbury Flooring Centre, Property Search Group, Raintec, Renaissance, Rivar, SetApart, Shaftesburys, Thames Valley Energy, West Berkshire Council.

Visit the Talking Property website

 

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