9 minute read
AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO BETTER
Exhibitions are back. It’s been a welcome change, but one that is fraught with challenges. Meetings speaks to EXSA to learn more about four significant risks the standbuilding community is grappling with, as well as some of their proposed fixes.
This has been a busy year for the exhibitions industry, not least the Exhibitions & Events Association of Southern Africa (EXSA), a professional association that represents the industry. Sibusiso Mncwabe, chairperson of EXSA, agrees, saying, “The recovery of exhibitions has been very encouraging. Shows are happening back to back, and some in conjunction with others. It is exciting to be able to interact in person again and many companies are starting to recover financially as well.”
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However, the recovery process has been far from smooth he adds, “Although exhibitions are open and running, it is not without risks. There has been a huge shrinkage of experienced people that had to pursue other career options, and this has left a gap in industry that will take a while to train new staff. Another risk is that the build-up and breakdown times are often shortened due to demand of venues. This is a health and safety risk for suppliers. And of grave concern is non-delivery, which is harming our industry’s reputation.”
Another challenge facing standbuilders is the need to implement design fees, in order to ensure a fair practice of paying for a professional service.
Lee-Ann Alder, association manager of EXSA, says, “At EXSA, we definitely view problems as an opportunity to do better, so we have been tackling these issues head on.”
#1: SERVICE NON-DELIVERY
Of huge concern to the exhibitions industry are the present levels of non-delivery. LeeAnn shares that there have been repeated instances where standbuilders have been paid by a client and have subsequently been unable to deliver a completed stand – providing only a half-built structure, for example, by the time the show opens. She believes that this is a result of standbuilding companies taking on too much work after having had no income during lockdown, and which they simply cannot deliver on.
Non-delivery tarnishes the exhibitions industry as a whole, as the negative publicity can deter future clients from exhibiting. This especially as exhibiting carries a substantial cost and time investment. For this reason, some organisers and venues are banning guilty suppliers from working at their shows and premises.
PROTECT YOURSELF
Lee-Ann says, “EXSA members seldom have service delivery issues. Where there have been situations where there was a risk of non-delivery, members have worked together to ensure completion. If there was a case of non-delivery, EXSA also has processes in
place and can deal with these kinds of issues. “Unfortunately, we have no authority over non-EXSA members, and we cannot intervene on the behalf of clients or organisers to rectify the situation. It is for this reason that we always encourage organisers to use EXSAaccredited suppliers. All EXSA members are vetted and approved before they can join the association. For example, they must provide evidence of safety files, be POPI compliant, have evidence of tax compliance, and sign a code of conduct. By joining EXSA, they are upheld to certain standards and there is some recourse should anything go wrong.”
Lee-Ann adds that either she or another EXSA board member is present during the build-up of most shows across the country. This also ensures that should any issues arise with an EXSA member, they can be resolved quickly and before becoming a more serious problem.
#2: WAIVING DESIGN FEES
Liam Beattie, MD of design agency HOTT3D and an EXSA board director, explains that, historically, exhibition design fees were always billed for. Then, in the 1980s, a new South African company started offering free designs, which allowed them to capture a significant portion of the market. Ultimately, this became a competitive practice and caused free stand designs to become an industry norm.
While the practice has become a problematic cost for companies, it has been hard to reverse as it requires a majority of businesses to agree to reinstituting these fees collectively, yet no one wants to ‘blink first’. Fast-forward to the present day, where exhibition stand design companies have had to retrench their staff due to the prolonged lockdowns. Many of these companies are now subcontracting to previous employees as freelancers, and billing for design work that is being billed is suddenly a more logical step.
Liam says, “This has become a catalyst to driving change, and it has highlighted the value of designers. They study for four years to become qualified and have to use expensive software and computers, so it makes sense that designs are fairly paid for.”
PAYING PROFESSIONALS FAIRLY #3: SHORT BUILD-UP & BREAKDOWN TIMES
He adds that other related industries such as interior design and architecture always charge for designs, and furthermore have gazetted fees that they are legally bound to charge. His vision is to align EXSA with the African Institute of the Interior Design Professions (IID) and the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) to reach a point where the exhibitions industry can also introduce a mandatory minimum design fee.
To make this happen, Liam has formed a committee within EXSA that is creating a set of guidelines on how to charge for design. Once done, they will share this with the wider industry to debate and gain buy-in, after which they hope to publish it. “This will then give companies a tool that they can take to their clients to give them some ground to stand on,” he adds. Ultimately, he hopes these fees will also be gazetted. In the interim, many companies have started to implement design fees. Liam says that, since doing this at HOTT3D, most of his clients have been receptive to the practice. He says, “It’s actually improved the whole design process, as clients are now giving us better and more detailed briefs. Everyone wins.”
Another challenge that has plagued the exhibitions industry for years is standbuilders not being given enough time for build-up and breakdown. Unfortunately, this is happening more regularly since Covid.
Kerry-Lee Bester is the director of standbuilding company Brilliant Branding and an EXSA board director. She admits it would be in no one’s interests to have excessive build times – including the standbuilders – but says that often these times are squeezed to a point that becomes unreasonable. She shares a recent example where a show allocated 12 hours for a build with custom stands. This was an impossible ask for the standbuilders involved, so they were forced to say they would not be able to build any stands. Eventually a compromise was reached, and they were given two full days’ build time.
Kerry-Lee’s frustration is that this continues to happen and, each time it does, EXSA must get involved to negotiate a more reasonable time allowance. She says, “The crux of the problem is that, in South Africa, build-up and breakdown times are not governed by an act, a standard or even a best-practice guideline. This means there is no agreement on what is fair, and venues and organisers are free to set these times as they wish. It is somewhat arbitrary.”
AN ARGUMENT FOR PROACTIVITY
She continues, “Exhibitors want showstopping, beautiful stands. These make the organisers and shows look good, as well as our industry. But often people don’t understand what goes into a build, and the complexities and limitations we deal with. If they did, they would be in awe that we as an industry manage to pull off what we do. Yet limited build times are an avoidable danger.
“I keep asking, ‘Where will this end?’ My concern is that, one day, someone (a standbuilder) will get seriously hurt. The teams are put under tremendous pressure to deliver so much in so little time. And we don’t want to do our clients a disservice by taking shortcuts and producing a poor-quality stand.
“A further concern is that if (or when) an accident happens, it could ultimately lead to extreme interventions from external bodies that could be very hard for our industry to accommodate – not only standbuilders but venues and organisers too.”
For this reason, Kerry-Lee believes that self-governance is the far better option, and says, “If we can all sit around a table together, we could come up with our own way to manage this challenge. This approach would likely be far more in all of our interests than if government or another body were to be reactively involved after an accident. We all need each other, so let’s all work together to make our industry better, and safer.”
Until this happens, Lee-Ann says that EXSA will continue to address these issues as they are raised and deal with them on a case-bycase basis.
#4: INDUSTRY SKILLS SHORTAGE
Another effect of the extended lockdowns is that many event industry professionals have found employment in other industries. Now, as events resume, there is a shortage of staff to provide key skills.
In many ways, this is a great opportunity to onboard unemployed youth, but new recruits need to be developed and upskilled quickly. Some EXSA members are successfully doing this through learnerships and internships. Learnerships are for students who are still busy studying and are required to gain a certain amount of work experience to complete their qualification. Internships are for graduates who are seeking employment opportunities. Common practice is to take on both learners and interns for a limited time frame, such as 6 to 12 months, with no expectation of employment afterwards. Paying them a small stipend is also recommended so that they can cover their expenses.
A STRATEGY THAT WORKS
These kinds of work opportunities are an invaluable way to give potential employees on-the-job training and industry experience, while also giving employers a chance to see if someone is a good fit for their company and the role they are looking to fill.
SETA is an acronym for Sector Education and Training Authority, and the Services SETA is the channel through which exhibition standbuilders can apply for funding for learning programmes. To find out more about this, visit www.servicesseta.org.za.
For those looking for more formal qualifications for their new recruits, EXSA is busy developing an NQF level 5 event and exhibition course. Lee-Ann shares that the intention is for it to be a fully accredited programme, and she is in communication with the Services SETA towards this end.
WILL YOU JOIN?
“Any association is only as strong as its members. If you have concerns and criticisms of the exhibitions industry, and even of EXSA and what we do, we encourage you to join us. It is only by working together, from the inside, that we can solve these problems. Collectively, we are so much stronger,” says Lee-Ann Alder, association manager at EXSA. To find out more about EXSA and how you can get involved, visit exsa.co.za or contact Lee-Ann on info@exsa.co.za.
