Emirates Stadium is not only known as one of the world's most breathtaking sporting arenas, it is also renowned as a groundbreaking meetings and events venue. Boasting an array of versatile, modern and luxurious suites, our dedicated and experienced events team will work with you to create events that are as inspiring as the setting, delivering tailored solutions to ensure every detail is perfected to create a truly memorable experience for you and your guests.events@arsenal.co.uk 0845 262 0004 www.arsenal.com/events

EXHIBITION NEWSletters42MARCH 2011EXHIBITIONNEWS.CO.UKLETTERS1LETTERVISITOR FOCUS USING TECHNOLOGYIt was obvious to me that the January 2011Exhibition Newsedition had a number ofcommonly themed articles about theexhibition industry as a whole being hesitantto adopt new technologies and innovativesolutions when there are simpler, moretraditional things to sell.I cite Fish Software jumping out of the exhibitionwaters; the general lack of enthusiasm for on-sitesocial media; the absence of mobile phone-based services; the fragmented approach toinclude anything Internet-related, and thehesitation to move on from the outdated barcodescanners that capture barely qualified leads.The success of an event or exhibitor standshould not be limited by measuring foot trafficonly. Surely we would all agree quality is betterthan quantity. There are a myriad start-upcompanies that offer innovative solutions whichbring additional value to organisers, exhibitorsand visitors. One only needs to see the extensiveexhibitor list at EIBTM. Consider the growth strategy of huge Internetcompanies. Behemoths like Skype, Twitter,Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare and Grouponall have a common approach: Focus on the enduser. Build a product or service they will love, addvalue to their lives, and in return those users willgive you loyalty, recommend you to their friendsand spend more. It is proven. Perhaps event organisers should focus moreon embracing innovative solutions to add valueto the visitor's experience rather than focusing onthe exhibitor all the time. Focus on the 4E's:Embrace, Engage, Entertain and Educate yourvisitors so they really want to attend and the restwill look after itself. Exhibitors will be happy andmore engaged and interested decision makerswill be walking the floors.Luke Glen MD, SpotID2LETTERMOVING CONFEX TO EXCELI'm writing in regards to EN's breaking news storyon UBM's decision to move Confex from EarlsCourt to Excel London (ENwebsite, 7 February).It will be interesting to see how the exhibitorsfor this industry event like Excel as a venue totravel to. Excel is a great venue but I havealways had concerns about the jaunt to getthere. Travelling to Excel from the Midlands ishard enough at the best of times to see an eventand only time will tell how exhibitors from furtherafield will react to the journey across London.I like visiting Confex and seeing the changesthey integrate because I think it is a worthyshow in the industry for conference andexhibition venues. But I believe West London ismore appealing as a 'travel to' area than Excelfor event organisers. Once the correctinfrastructure is in place with rail lines andpublic transport, then Excel will be a fantasticvenue for all events. I just think this will take awhile to come into place.It will certainly be exciting to see how Confexperforms at Excel and I am sure it will be lookedat closely by exhibition and event organisers.Luke GallianaOcean Media Group