VENUE: The Belfry
EVENT DATE: 2007
NUMBER OF GUESTS: 250

Arbiter Group is the UKs leading Independent musical instrument distributors who represent some of the market leading guitar, drum and music technology brands. The company had felt that it could no longer truly represent itself at the numerous trade shows that had been split across the calendar and witnessed falling attendance, couple with the fact that the shows did not fall at the right time in the calendar for its retailers to make their orders for the Christmas season; the answer was simple, lets make our own trade show!

The first stage was the short-listing possible venues; the Belfry was eventually selected for its location, accommodation and event spaces. A visit was made to the venue and the spaces selected for each section of the event, it was decided that a temporary structure would also be erected overlooking the golf course to be used as the main hospitality area where all of the meals would be served and the Saturday evenings party be hosted.

The main event space in the hotel was to form the exhibition space, with a smaller suite being used as the live demo room. The space was laid out using our event design software to accommodate the various brands that where being displayed, the result of this saw the construction of 25m of free standing guitar wall incorporating a wall of speakers, tiered risers where constructed to display the various drum kits and cymbals this included a 10' rotating platform showing the feature kit. A music technology area was also laid out using the latest computers provided by Apple and the middle of the space maid way for the Rhodes Piano platform demonstrating their latest product still in the prototype stage.

Guests where invited to spend either a day or a day and evening at the event which required an exceptional amount of co-ordination to ensure the right people where invited to the right part this involved weekly meetings at the clients offices to co-ordinate the guest and rooming lists which was followed up with on-site co-ordination with the hotels reception team. In addition there where different grade rooms for particular guests and numerous goody bags that had to be delivered to different people.

150 guests where invited to stay for the Saturday evening in which Arbiter hosted a party which took place in the marquee overlooking the golf course, the BBQ was followed with a cabaret performance with a real one-off performer, Stevie Starr, the human swallower! The party then kicked off with a band formed exclusively for the evening made up of some of the finest session musicians in the world, of course playing the various instruments that where on show earlier.

A select few guests where invited to stay until Monday morning where the inaugural Ivor Arbiter Memorial Trophy was competed on one of the Belfry's championship golf courses, all players where greeted with a golf goody bag and followed the competition with a specially prepared lunch in the clubhouses Ryder Room.

The weekend was a roaring success with an unprecedented value of orders being placed, providing an exceptional return on investment from the client.