THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STAND, AND A STAND THAT WORKS
Events that work without another full-time hire.
Tradeshows and field events in the UK accounting space, planned and delivered by someone who has done it before. You have a stand booked, a budget approved, and nobody with the time to make it work. Or you are running UK events from another country and need someone on the ground who knows the venues, the suppliers and the audience. That is what I do, on a project basis or as ongoing monthly support, without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.
Small marketing teams covering demand gen, content, product marketing and events. Events are the thing that get rushed and end up slipping.
International vendors entering or growing in the UK - Australian, US or EMEA software companies exhibiting at UK shows with no local team, or a local team of one.
Teams with more events than bandwidth. Three tradeshows, two roadshows and a customer dinner in the same quarter, and a calendar that doesn't quite work out.
Most exhibition budget is spent on space and structure, then the marketing around it gets done in the last fortnight. I start work eight weeks before: planning who you want to meet, how you engage attendees, what the stand says, how to get leads on the floor, and what happens on the Monday after. AKA how to get most bang for your buck.
End-to-end management of your exhibition presence - inc. stand logistics, suppliers, pre-show outreach, lead capture, staffing brief, on-site run sheet, post-show follow-up. Scoped and priced separately for small shows and major ones.
A local point of contact for overseas teams. Site visits, supplier meetings, deliveries, stand build supervision and show-day presence - UK logistics become my problem, not yours.
Roundtables, customer dinners, breakfast briefings and partner sessions. Venue sourcing, invitations and chase, run of show, on-the-night coordination.
Ongoing monthly capacity across your whole event calendar. I plug into your team, your tools and your rhythm, and work whatever needs working that month.
A show is won before the doors open.
A tradeshow is all about the planning. Deciding how to engage your target prospects, how to build your presence to ensure you get the most out of the event and your budget.
Objectives & KPIs, target accounts, budget, supplier brief, hotels booked, staffing and lead process.
Stand build confirmed. Print, merch, giveaways, AV, furniture and shipping booked. Pre-show campaign written.
Outreach live across email, LinkedIn and partner channels. Demo flow finalised.
Staff briefing pack issued. Run sheet and supplier confirmations circulated.
Build supervision, on-stand coordination, meeting management, daily lead review.
Leads cleaned, scored and handed to your team. Debrief on event.
Choose the level of support that matches your calendar.
A review of your event calendar - what's working, what isn't, and where to focus. A good place to start.
Under 500 attendees. Regional tradeshows, roadshow dates, partner expos and single-day events. Four-week runway, lighter build, fewer suppliers.
500+ attendees. Accountex, Digital Accountancy Show, Xerocon and similar. Full eight-week runway, custom build, full supplier chain.
One roundtable, dinner or briefing, typically 15–30 guests. Can include on-the-night coordination.
Two days a month of ongoing event capacity across your calendar. Three-month minimum.
Four days a month, for teams running several programmes at once. Three-month minimum.
Running a UK exhibition remotely is where budgets get wasted. Halls have their own rules, contractors quote differently, and the audience expects a different tone. I act as your local team:
Supplier sourcing and negotiation with UK contractors, at UK market rates
Physical presence: site visits, deliveries, build and breakdown supervision
Localising your messaging, invitations and follow-up for a UK audience
A 30-minute call. What is in your calendar, what is at risk, and what you want to do.
Scope, deliverables, dates and a fixed price. Sent within two working days.
Shared planning tools, a shared plan, and a weekly check-in. You always know what is done and what is next.
Written results after every event, including what to do differently next time.
I run marketing for a UK B2B software business targeting the accounting industry, where events are a core channel rather than a nice-to-have. I have planned and delivered trade show programmes, partner-hosted events, roundtables and community programmes - on real budgets, with small teams, and with pipeline attached to the outcome. Think Accountex, DAS, ICAEW and 2020 Innovation conferences.
I am not a generalist event planner learning your market. I understand accountants buying cycles, how to engage them and how sales teams actually treat event leads.
Accountex London and Manchester, Digital Accountancy Show, Xerocon, Sage and Intuit partner events, 2020 Innovation, ICAEW and professional body events, plus the regional shows such as Digital Accountancy Club and Accountants Therapy.
Can you work with our existing stand builder or agency?
Yes. I often work alongside incumbent suppliers - I manage them so you don't have to.
How much of our time will this take?
One 30-minute check-in a week, plus decisions when I need them. That's all.
What is the shortest notice you can work to?
Six weeks for a major show, three for a small one. Shorter than that and I will tell you honestly what can and cannot be done.
Let's talk about your next show.
Let's make the next show less of a scramble.
A practical partner for the planning, the suppliers, the show floor and the follow-through.
A 30-minute call, no obligation. Bring your event calendar and the thing you are most worried about.
Alexandra Hayter
linkedin.com/in/alexandra-hayter