Shell Schemes are Changing
I built my first exhibition stand over 20 years ago. It was a system called Deltamatrix. Fixed frame system that went together extremely quickly and we made some pretty cool acrylic graphics which fit neatly into the system.
Well over time that company split up and became 2. Aluvision and beMatrix. I don’t know the story behind it but they both had a very similar system which was way quicker to put up than the other modular systems like Octanorm shell.
More recently they both developed a channel which accepts fabric. These graphics meant there were no joins over panels.
I always wondered why more main contractor’s didn’t invest into this new kit. Maybe too expense? As the opportunities the system with the holes gave was great.
Fast forward to the market now and I foresee there is going to be a shift.
One of the biggest main contractor’s in the UK market has made a post covid exit. They had spent millions on a large stock of bematrix a couple of years ago.
That stock has been bought up by three smaller contractor’s. They will now pitch the system to the organisers who are likely to see the benefits.
This is how I see it. Up selling keeping the customers spending more with them.
There is already some companies offering this service. Great if you can get it but needs big capex investment to start with.
You see there is a myriad of much smaller exhibition and display companies that service the industry. They sell popups, graphics to cover the shells and small stands to fill the shell spaces.
With the shell being made of the system with the holes the main contractor and organiser can very easily and conveniently upgrade their shell with seamless fabric graphics. They look great and the floor space would be maximised. They can integrate av, again looks better than sticking a TV on a k stand.
The problem with all this is that the customer will have less choice. There is a chance that the big boys will start a monopoly. Small display companies will find it harder to retain their customers. They’ll go to the wall and the big boys will then dominate the market and profiteer out of the lack of competition.
Time will tell if this happens and I really hope it won’t. Redblu is one of the thousands of little guys just trying to make a living offering tailored branding solutions to our customers with a little care and attention.
Happy exhibiting!
But they can also really easily offer set stand designs as an upgrade.