Planning on exhibiting at this year's International Astronautical Congress in Sydney? Taking the legendary Yoda’s own advice: “Always pass on what you have learned,” here are some key tips we’ve picked up in our years working on exhibit stands to help you make the most of your presence at IAC25.
How to start – Don’t start by thinking about your tech. Do start by thinking about your audience/s and their needs.
IAC25 will be a very busy environment with many distractions. You want your content to grab your audience’s attention by focussing on what's important to them. Tightly tailor your content to your audience, whether it's other space companies, investors, government, military, supply-chain, media or future STEM workforce.
Plan early for customer experience – Your booth is a place for your audiences to experience your universe.
Think about what you want your audiences to feel, think and do and plan an experience to take them on that journey. Remember that CAD plans feel different IRL, so it’s worth measuring your space out and considering the journey from different audience perspectives. You should also test for crowd control and bottlenecks.
Think of the story – Every interaction shapes a lasting experience.
While your technology may be interesting, it’s the stories of the people who invented it and those who benefited from it that will really cut through. Where did the inspiration come from? Who are the real people you’ve impacted? How have their lives improved because of it? How will it benefit humankind in the future? Make your story memorable and engaging. Even though space can seem very distant, the stories of how we benefit on Earth will make it more relevant.
A picture paints 1000 words – Multimedia exponentially increases this.
There are many ways to immerse people in your message: some are high tech, others are about the human experience. We typically find our most powerful ideation sessions happen when you bring highly technical people, like space experts and physicists, together with creative people like storytellers and designers. It’s important to have event production specialists in the mix too so they can turn the ideas into a creative reality. Gamers add some good spice to any ideation session.
Simple content works – Think about video, activities or interactive ways to present your message.
It’s easy to get carried away. Remember to check back on your objectives and what you’re trying to achieve with your audiences. Make it easy and engaging! Rogue kids (and other NPCs) will try and hack your event displays so make sure you factor that into your AV resilience.
Shine brightly amongst the stars – Time key announcements to IAC25 and consider hosting your own satellite event.
With IAC25 drawing a rich audience of industry leaders, internationals and heightened media interest in all-things-space, timing is everything. Align your key announcements with the event and consider hosting a satellite gathering to capture attention and loads of international delegates while the buzz is high. Your event needs to cut through so think of interesting locations and crowd-pulling speakers. Not everything has to be in ICC, and there are exciting and cost-effective venues located right next door in Darling Quarter and other cool nearby precincts. Your impact is more powerful in a space totally your own (and controlled by you), so your message is front and centre. Invite stakeholders and industry media to hear your message firsthand - turning IAC25 into a launchpad for your story.
If you are planning your next space event and need help from a Sydney-based creative events team that understands the difference between LEO and GEO, get in touch via media@houseofkitch.com.au
May The Force be with you!
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