The SECC has developed a new identity in the run up to one of the most significant and high profile periods in its 27 year history. The new branding will be in place ahead of a historic year for the venue, with the launch of The Hydro in September preceding the arrival of the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup in 2014.

The new branding is striking in its simplicity, with brilliant colours set above a contemporary line drawing, bringing to life Glasgow’s iconic skyline; which now stands as the only vista across the globe with two Foster + Partner buildings.

“As a business we’re aware that our role is as host to the outstanding events our clients bring to the SECC. With this is mind we wanted to make our building, our facilities and our destination the hero,” comments Ben Goedegebuure, Sales Director of the SECC. “We’re really proud of the new branding, it’s going to be an identity that will be seen by millions when the world visits Glasgow next year.”

The next 18 months are going to be massive for both the country and for Glasgow with global audiences seeing the best of our creativity and imagination. The Hydro and Armadillo will be the backdrop of much of the excitement around the city, and all this before the Ryder Cup 2014 brings with it the third largest sporting audience of any event on the planet. Brand SECC needs to stand for the very best of Scotland.

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Keith Dalton, managing director at Peterborough Arena

The Association of Event Venues (AEV) is pleased to announce that Peterborough Arena has become the 41st member of the association. The venue has over 800,000 visitors per year and hosts some of the UK’s major national shows – both indoor and outdoor, conferences, trade exhibitions, concerts, corporate events, private functions and weddings in its 250 acres of outdoor space and seven indoor exhibition and entertainment halls.

Keith Dalton, managing director at Peterborough Arena, said, “As one of the largest and most versatile venues in the East of England, the AEV provides Peterborough Arena with a national platform on which to maximize our brand and customer offering. It also enables us to further our industry networking opportunities and build on our current links with existing customers and potential new event organisers.”

“Membership of the AEV opens up a number of new avenues to like-minded industry experts and the chance to share knowledge and experiences, as well as being a useful source of current industry news and information,” concluded Dalton.

Andrew Harrison, account and communications manager at AEV said, “We are delighted to welcome Peterborough Arena into AEV membership, they have a strong and unique proposition in the industry. Recognising AEV as an association that can support their development in key areas is testament to their desire to work with the rest of the industry on the development of the entire UK venue scene.”

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Today represents a genre-defining moment for marketing as VirtualXpo announces VIBE, the world’s first virtual trade show for an entire industry, and VIBE LIVE, a 100% live companion event — both of which confront the standard exhibition model head-on.

Since Paul Nicholson founded VirtualXpo, he and his colleagues have been tirelessly investigating new ways to challenge traditional out-dated marketing routes. For them, today sees the culmination of their endeavours as they launch the revolutionary VIBE solution.

Nicholson comments: “Conventional trade shows, websites, web searches, email and advertising are all extremely inefficient vehicles delivering around 10% ROI. In this era of super high-tech digital media, that is a woeful economic scenario. Having analysed the global markets we realised that the logical solution was to bring entire industries together in one place rather than having their component parts scattered over the Internet. So, within VIBE, everyone will be just a few screen taps away, 24/7, throughout the whole year. No more frustrating web searches or Internet downtime, just an industry-wide trade show in the palm of your hand.”

Nicholson continues: “Step two was to make the virtual experience better, faster and cheaper, and we’ve achieved that with our platform. VIBE visitors will be able to register their show attendance in order to create meaningful business and social relationships with the exhibitors. Then, through the app’s analytic reporting function, exhibitors will be able to reach out personally to visitors who show real interest in their company and products, giving them the potential of never missing another sale and a 90% demographic improvement over a conventional show. The app also links to social networking sites, email and websites, keeping everything and everyone fully synchronised. It’s a logical marketing evolution and an exciting new economic model.”

VIBE will embrace all the people and companies who together deliver the functionality that drives the live entertainment market — not just sound, light, video and staging companies, but also those involved in logistics, catering, security and other crucial areas. Freelance personnel will also be encouraged to join the show and promote their skills.

Sales director Jay Green adds: “We wanted to create a level playing field for everyone, a more efficient route to market and a truly cost-effective solution for the times in which we live. We believe that the world should be one big trade show with industries easily accessible and always open for business.”

Companies and individuals can apply for a virtual exhibition space at VIBE from today and the app will be launched this July on iOS and Android platforms before the year-end. The company’s universal app template will roll out across other diverse industry sectors later this year in “glorious multimedia”.

To complement VIBE, VirtualXpo is also shaking up the trade show market with VIBE LIVE.

Nicholson explains the thinking behind the VIBE LIVE concept: “The live production industry deserves to be properly seen and heard. Trade shows have never delivered the sight, sound and feel of live technology at work in meaningful, real world applications. In response to this problem we’ll be launching the world’s first totally live arena-based event for this discerning market in 2014. VIBE LIVE will be designed for the industry by the industry, and linked to a special edition VIBE app.

“It’s important to note that VIBE LIVE will not be a conventional trade show but a hybrid multimedia event. We’re taking things into a new dimension. The content will include elements never before seen in the exhibition marketplace — it will all add up to an irresistible package.

“We believe that the marriage of our unique virtual and live approaches will provide the industry with a far more effective route to market than traditional static shows, and encourage everyone to review their annual trade show routine and budgets. The dark ages are over. It’s now time to fully embrace 21st century resources and revive the industry with something altogether more rewarding and cost-effective.”

In partnership with a consulting panel of respected industry professionals, VIBE LIVE will deliver both an unprecedented sensory experience and an invaluable business opportunity for everyone involved to network in a far more dynamic way.

The arena setting will allow for hundreds of high quality demo slots over the course of the live event, provide corporate boxes for meetings and entertaining, breakout rooms for seminars, workshops and additional demos, plus outdoor concourses. Together, VIBE and VIBE LIVE will provide the ultimate shop window for all live event production professionals.

VirtualXpo will be releasing further information about VIBE LIVE in the coming weeks including the venue and timing.

For further information please visit www.virtualxpo.com

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