THE FACTS:
- Client: Martin-Baker Aircraft Co Ltd
- Show: Farnborough International Airshow 2018
- Show dates: Monday 16th July – Sunday 22nd July
- Type of Build: Space only exhibition stand & A Row Chalet
With a rich history in aviation closely associated with Farnborough, Martin-Baker has been a “regular” at the Farnborough International Airshow since its beginnings in the 1950s. A family-run business, the company’s founder Sir James Martin was a key ambassador of the Airshow.
The aim of their exhibition space has always been about showcasing new products and meeting and networking with aircraft manufacturers, military delegations and suppliers. Martin-Baker’s product is highly complex, which means a different approach to analysing the success of marketing activities at trade shows like Farnborough. Their focus is on the number and quality of interactions and engagements with trade visitors and delegations and tracking the outcomes of subsequent conversations.
Martin-Baker’s presence at FIA represents a multi-show arrangement with a bespoke build exhibition stand in Hall 4 and a permanent exhibitor Chalet.
At FIA2018, the Martin-Baker team wanted to change their offering and worked with suppliers to alter the design of their exhibition stand – confining any meeting room space to within their private chalet and so freeing up more space on the exhibition stand for product showcase.
They were also keen to see how we had made improvements across the show. It’s a great example of our partnership approach and the value we place on long-term relationships. Feedback is important and our clients need to see positive responses to that feedback.
Commenting on their FIA2018 experience, Harrison Smith, Marketing Executive at Martin-Baker, said:
“FIA2018 was very successful for us and we had a lot of great engagement. With a newly designed exhibition stand we were very happy with the number of meetings we were able to generate, particularly with military delegations. The delegation programme at Farnborough is on a different scale to that offered by other shows and so it’s really important for us to maximise on that potential.
“There had been some problems at the previous show with some areas like gate access and security. But the team at Farnborough really listened to the concerns we expressed and had obviously worked hard to rectify those. 2018 was easy! No queues at the gates at all and it was really great to be welcomed by the same security team each day. That really made a difference.
“The contacts we make and meetings we have at a show like Farnborough don’t necessarily bring immediate results. But the quality of the contacts we make there can mean long-term success for us. At the 2016 show we met with Diamond Aircraft Industries and two years later one of their aircraft took its first flight with Martin-Baker seats in.”
