So we're at that time of the events year when Confex (http://www.international-confex.com/) is just a few working days away. Whilst it is the market leader in the market of 'events for event organisers' is it still an exciting event?! To be honest probably not...
The same stands, same people, same layout, similar topics are there year on year and I suspect looking at the website for 2011's version that it will, once again, be almost a repeat of 2010, 2009, 2008, etc.
I suppose the question 'what can the organiser's do to make it different' is relevant here, after all the event is designed to be what it is - a collection of venues, suppliers and organisers all in one venue - and Confex achieves this almost better than anyone else; I say almost due to the development and improvement of Square Meal in the last 12 months. There are tweaks, new additions and developments evident (such as the student day) but the main core of the event appears to be as per usual.
To my colleagues and I at Connect Events (http://www.connectevents.co.uk/) Confex used to be the show to attend but now it is more a case of if we have the time we'll pop along and definitely there is no disappointment if we do miss it. Confex will not get any smaller and will certainly continue to be the money making machine it is for UBM but it has certainly lost any element of the excitement it used to carry.
That said, I will be attending on at least two of the days hoping to be proved wrong