2024 - It's been emotional!
This year has been a transformative one for me and Exhibition Mastery. The headlines are:
- New clients
- new products
- new partners
- new services.
All in all - it was a ‘new’ year.
I really must thank all my clients. Without you, there would not be an end of year look back or being able to look forward to the new year.
We worked with a wide variety of businesses, industries and services. It is part of what makes Exhibition Mastery so exciting for me, the diversity of requirements, the different stories - all looking at exhibiting themselves well. Understanding the story and crafting and weaving the outward approach to engage people on your stand has been fun. Personally, I love getting to that core passion - it is what gets me excited! There were a couple of times where we didn’t quite hit the mark and I am personally very grateful for the feedback. Exhibition Mastery is growing and we want to make our experience awesome. When it is isn't, the feedback is gold in itself. Thank you!
This last year was a time for tremendous growth for both me and Exhibition Mastery. I was delighted to be accepted the spring cohort for the Natwest Accelerator programme. If you haven’t heard of it, check it out. I applied to ensure that my business had the correct fundamentals in place for growth - substantial growth. I was overdue for some personal development too. Always keep sharpening the saw. :-). The whole six months was a really great investment in time and effort.
My outcomes have been greater than what I invested in. A clarity of direction for Exhibition Mastery, a clear vision and mission with a set of products to build from. Perhaps the most important ‘thing’ that I got out of the programme was the community. A deepening of friendships (you know who you are) and a whole new community that supports and cheers for each other. It was a really great experience.
As an added bonus, I became part of an awesome accountability trio. Things happen for a reason, sometimes you just need to follow that path!
We developed product lines with strategic partners (more on this soon) and worked closely with event companies to improve and enhance their offering to their exhibitors and we brought on experts in different business areas.
We now provide light boxes for small businesses to help them really stand out. Part of mastering your exhibitions is to be visually impactful. The light box stands do just that!
Our latest offering is replacing the printed vinyls for pull up banners. The events industry can be incredibly wasteful, something that is being addressed at an industry level, and we are doing what we can to help the small businesses reduce their impact too.
A highlight of the year was being at the SME Awards where Collaborate MK (the networking group I call home!) won both the regionals and the national awards. I am part of the support team and advise on the events and manage their exhibitions - so the win was a great experience and seeing all the hard work and effort of Tim Lee and all the support team.
It was a great year for me personally as well. My family and I welcomed a Daughter in Law and a Grandson! And we got back to Wales for a holiday with the new family.
It was truly an exceptional year.
I am very grateful for all the blessings that have been bestowed. 2025 is already looking to be a great year. I hope it is for you too!
Wishing you the best success
Steve
