The show’s the star

If you’re in Brighton towards the end of February next year, walking along the seafront in the driving rain, you either live in the town, or are a delegate attending the annual BBC Showcase at the Brighton Centre – the world’s single biggest event held by a broadcaster or programme maker. It’s a major event, attracting about 450 programme buyers, representing about 150 media organisations from as many as 50 countries. Its aim is to market BBC programmes to an international programme-buying audience. But why in Brighton in February and why does it start on a Sunday?

Stormy weather

According to BBC general manager of business-to-business events Elaine Gordon, “Sunday was initially designed for registration, but has now developed into a screening day, too. Brighton is a great location with hotels and the conference centre in such close proximity and buyers enjoy visiting the town, despite Showcase’s traditionally poor weather.”

Kathryn Ball, marketing executive at the Grand Hotel, which the BBC virtually takes over each year, is similarly enthusiastic about the location. She says: “It’s cheaper and safer than London and has excellent transport links. It’s accessible by train from Gatwick in 25 minutes and London in an hour.”

Preparation for BBC Showcase, led by Gordon and her small “dream team”, starts five months before the conference takes place. Design and logistics are decided over a series of meetings with various BBC departments, then contract builders and construction workers are commissioned. However, much of the marketing work is taken up in providing a total service to delegates.

Couch potato training

From receiving an invitation in early November to leaving the show in February, every delegate is taken on a five-star marketing journey. BBC Worldwide global marketing director Kevin Harrington says: “We arrange transport and accommodation for all delegates, as well as sending each one an itinerary of events. Once they’re at Showcase and have settled in, one of our sales and marketing staff makes contact to help them research the programmes available and decide which they want to see. This liaison continues throughout the show and is a great way of getting feedback and also means no one slips through the marketing net.”

Unlike normal conferences, you won’t find any stands at BBC Showcase. Each buyer has a personal viewing booth where they can watch BBC programmes for up to ten hours each day of the four-day event. Food and drink can be taken in the booths, which makes it sound like a training course for couch potatoes.

Various producer forums held throughout each day help to pull delegates away from their VCR cocoon. Harrington adds: “These have a lecture theatre atmosphere and are very popular. The forums are usually divided by programme genre – science, natural history, children’s, and news – and they make delegates feel a part of the whole programme-making experience.”

This idea of respecting your client’s intelligence is carried throughout the show. Harrington says: “Ours is a very educated audience, many have been coming to Showcase for years. Most buy the more popular programmes such as Teletubbies and natural history documentaries, so it’s nice to introduce them to new ideas in a subtle way and make them feel involved.” One idea that has taken off in Germany, for instance, is the Britcom strand, where one channel shows three hours of BBC comedy back-to-back.

Delegates are further pampered with a running buffet throughout the day and themed dinners in the evening, one recently being based around The League of Gentlemen. And often these are attended by the stars of the shows. Harrington adds: “Delegates all have to eat and we use this time to introduce ideas.”

Harrington, Gordon and the BBC team make sure no marketing opportunity is missed at Showcase and it can’t be long before viewing screens are introduced into the toilets. The real triumph, however, is that despite the fact that delegates feel the marketers breathing down their necks throughout the show, they seem to gain comfort from it rather than annoyance.

More bang for the buck

Regular visitor Annette Romen of TVZ Denmark says: “The first thing that struck me was wow, they’re really making an effort.” Meanwhile, you’d think UKTV Australia’s Tony Iffland was on the BBC pay roll. He says: “It’s the best market there is. It lets me do some real long-term planning. It’s hard to see how they can keep improving it, but last year was even more efficient with an improved layout.”

Putting on an event as big as Showcase isn’t cheap and the BBC is always aiming to reduce costs without compromising the show’s trademark quality. According to Harrington, our national broadcaster is succeeding. He says: “The event has got bigger and better over the past three years, but has cost less to stage.”

One reason for this is improved relationships with business partners. Compaq, for instance, supplied equipment for free last year. Technology helps improve service and cut costs. Last year, for the first time, a fast communications link was set up between Brighton and BBC Worldwide’s head office in London, webcams feeding live pictures back to base were also tried out, and Harrington anticipates that digital viewing technology will replace video in the near future.

BBC Showcase is also a crucial revenue earner. Gordon says: “Last year we estimate it generated &£40m in business for the BBC – way in excess of the costs involved.”

So what’s Gordon’s and Harrington’s favourite part of the show? Both agree it’s when the delegates leave. That’s not because they can’t wait to see the back them, but because of all the grateful comments and thanks they receive every year. Gordon says: “It’s a terrific opportunity to build relationships with your clients. It’s a huge project and it’s wonderful when it all comes off and clients thank you for a great four days.”