When and how do IFSEC preparations begin for Assa Abloy?
IFSEC is arguably the biggest annual event in the UK for the Assa Abloy group, so planning for this May’s event started last summer. The managing directors from each of the selling units; Abloy UK, ASSA, Adams Rite, Mul-T-Lock, Powershield and Safeguard, met in August to agree overall objectives, targets, stand layout and marketing strategy.
Who from Assa Abloy is involved in IFSEC and how?
Since August, we have worked together within the group to develop a design concept for the stand and a marketing strategy that will maximise the impact of our presence at the show.
How closely does Assa Abloy work with UBM Live, organiser of IFSEC?
As one of the main sponsors of IFSEC, we work very closely with UBM Live, the organiser of the exhibition. Much of our work is with the sponsorship manager, developing the stand and marketing activity and ensuring the group has a significant brand presence at the event.
Apart from the stand, what other marketing activities do you use to promote your attendance at IFSEC?
The message to customers “Come and visit our stand at Hall 3 E10 has been sent out far and wide through sponsorship opportunities such as IFSEC email bulletins and online sponsorships.
Meanwhile, the Assa Abloy PR programme will help to raise awareness of key products such as Aperio, HiO and Smartair access control technology and, along with a targeted email campaign, will help to drive traffic to the stand.
What’s the thought process behind the design of Assa Abloy’s stand at IFSEC?
The stand is the centrepiece of the show. Coming up with the right design concept is vital to capture the attention of visitors and encourage them to visit our stand.
We have come up with an offer that will appeal to a wide range of audiences; be they access control companies, systems integrators, OEMs or buildings and security specifiers.
We have also developed a ‘Wow’ event which will be integrated into the stand design and will occur at regular intervals throughout the day to again capture visitor’s attention and compel them to visit our stand.
This year’s concept will focus on a maze, which looks like an architectural drawing and has been developed to illustrate ease of access. The maze concept works well with the access control products on display – Aperio, HiO and Smartair – and helps to position Assa Abloy as an access control enabler
The stand will be split into individual areas with a specific product focus, one on open technology show casing Aperio and HiO, one on propriety access control products, such as the small-scale access control system Smartair. The third area will focus on Physical Security products.
The stand will also feature a number of presentations on new technologies and enabling products, as well as the latest information on security standards, including information on the company’s training Academy initiative.
What’s the one thing you’d never attend IFSEC without? What’s the secret to a successful exhibition for Assa Abloy?
Showcasing new, innovative products is always part of our strategy at all exhibitions and it’s great for attracting visitors and getting them enthused about our product range.
However, the real secret to our success is planning early and working hard together as a team. This gives us plenty of time to target our key markets with tailored marketing messages and help drive visitors to our stand.
How does IFSEC fit into the annual Assa Abloy marketing campaign?
IFSEC is a major event in the calendar and a great opportunity for us to promote our range to leading industry decision makers. It provides a vehicle to reinforce the brand and positioning within the market, and also enables us to showcase new products to our target audience.
How does Assa Abloy evaluate its success at IFSEC?
The measure of a successful exhibition is always the quality of leads we gather from our presence there.
What is the one piece of advice you’d offer to a new or existing exhibitor at IFSEC?
Anyone thinking of exhibiting should start planning early. There are so many things to co-ordinate but IFSEC can be a great boost for your business – if you get it right.
Please describe the typical week for an Assa Abloy manager/executive during IFSEC.
The whole week of the exhibition is hectic – which is just how we like it. There are always invaluable networking opportunities to attend and we regularly meet up with key clients too.
While the stand is inundated, only a fraction of our customer base visit the show; so interviews with editors and journalists are incredibly important in spreading our message to a much wider audience.
All of this means it’s non-stop for all of the product and marketing managers on the stand but, with two products – Aperio and Sentinel 6 deadlock – in for IFSEC awards, we’re hoping to celebrate all of our hard work at the awards ceremony.