Sixteen years of engagement at the BIBA conference

Here is the February edition of ‘Throwback Thursday’, our monthly newsletter where we delve into the archives and revisit projects we have delivered for clients in years gone by. This month, our Creative Services Director, Nick Patchitt, looks back at the changing face of BIBA over the past 16 years and brandformula’s part in making this the landmark Insurance event in the calendar.

Being from a more two-dimensional branding background, I had next to no experience of exhibition stands and conferences – and what it takes to make them happen. I had my first experience of BIBA in 2007 in ExCel London where brandformula delivered several stands and some outdoor advertising. It opened my eyes to just what a logistical challenge it is to deliver multiple stands at these events. In the sixteen years since, the event itself has grown in scale and sophistication and the part brandformula plays in it is significant. Below are a handful of observations I have made over the years.

Scale: BIBA has always prided itself on being the must-attend event for all UK insurance professionals and as such has always been a big event. After moving between London, Glasgow, and a stop-off in Brighton, BIBA has settled at the Manchester Central Convention Complex since 2014. During this time there were 2 years where BIBA was cancelled – in 2020 due to Lockdown, then it went online the following year. The queues around the block in 2022 brought home the sheer appetite people have for BIBA and how much they missed it. There were 3,200 attendees in 2007 compared with over 9,000 in 2023, which attests to its popularity. And with those increased numbers, the scale of brandformula’s delivery has also increased exponentially. ?

The brandformula offering: Again, when I look back at my first BIBA in 2007, I noticed a few people around the office looking busy and increasingly stressed as May approached… but it seemed to be a select few people and didn’t dominate the office atmosphere. Fast forward 16 years and the difference is palpable. This is down to a number of factors. From delivering half a dozen stands in 2007 we reached 18 stands in 2023! In addition to stand design and build for clients, our wider services just keep on growing. Our film crew has really grown, delivering video content for clients in real-time with our back-room team of editors. We are forever looking at wider engagement activity – including street artists, 3D giant logos, and building projections outside the venue. Inside the event, famous faces, mixologists, immersive games and keynote talkers have pulled in the crowds. All this requires an ever growing brandformula team of experienced creatives and project handlers as well as months of planning ahead.?

The stands themselves: The cornerstone of each client’s offering at BIBA is, of course the stand. They have to show off the brand and, simply put, pull in the punters! To do this they have to visually stand apart and look an engaging proposition – a place you want to find out more and meet people. Again, looking back at the stands from my first BIBA, the demand to create something a little bit different year in year out is massively challenging. Design, materials, finish, video content, meeting spaces, entertainment, interactive screens, games, and give-aways all have to be factored in to the design. I personally don’t get involved in the design of the stands themselves – but as a Creative I can only marvel at how our team come up with compelling solutions to all this challenges each year.

Delivering at the event itself: This is where the stress levels really kick in and – again from a slight outsider’s perspective (I offer some creative input and oversee documenting the event) – I genuinely marvel at how our wider team of just under 50 bring our stand designs to life. Seeing the team confidently take in their stride the scale of some of the constructions and complexity of the electrics and AV is seriously impressive. Plus there are always unforeseen challenges to overcome which mean improvised solutions that often go down to the wire – again, all delivered in a calm and logical fashion.?

And then, the event itself and it doesn’t end there... maintaining the stands myriad components – including AV content, lighting, food, drink, games, and plants all need constant attention. The steps the team put in at each event are quite something, and run into the tens of thousands!

So there we have it – my observations on how brandformula have grown and carried on delivering ever more impressive creative and logical solutions. I look forward to this year’s BIBA and seeing a supreme example of teamwork from the brandformula crew.