The question is, will this prove to be the high-water mark, or can the event continue to grow? It's already clear that the retail showcase trade show has come to dominate the event, to the detriment of the traditional conference.

Exhibitors spend large sums on renting floorspace and building their stands, and they quite naturally have demanded more 'face time' in front of business contacts in order to maximise their return on this investment. That means opening the exhibition the day before the conference, and keeping it open during the conference sessions.

Of course this makes absolute sense - delegates are there to do business as much as the exhibitors are and that's what makes the BCSC event so successful. But most visitors now don't have the time to sit in the conference hall and listen to the speakers. In today's frenetic business world there's less and less time for any of us just to sit and think: we always have to be seen to be doing.

So is there perhaps a case for separating the two aspects of the conference and showcase? Spinning off the showcase into a fully-fledged trade show on the Mapic model and creating a new, more cerebral conference event where there could be genuine debate about the issues facing the industry could resolve the conflict between the two halves of the current event.

Either way, change is not going to happen before the next BCSC conference and showcase, which has already been booked for 10 to 12 November at the ACC Arena and convention centre in Liverpool. And for those who feared the change of dates next year would create a clash with Mapic, there's no need to panic, because the Cannes event will take place the following week - from 19 to 21 November.

Graham Parker, Editor

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