The Mind Body Spirit Festival
The Mindbodyspirit Festival, Brisbane, Australia
LOCATION
Brisbane, Australia
EVENT Venue
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
TREND
MAPPING
Event Venues, Registration, Event Operations, Marketing, Sustainability
The event brief
The MindBodySpirit Festival is a health, wellbeing and natural therapies event that brings together over 200 exhibitors under one roof. The event is free to attend and offers event visitors the opportunity to attend free stage performances, listen to inspirational speakers and try some soul food. The festival program also offers specialised seminars, workshops and psychic readings for an additional fee.
The MindBodySpirit Festival organisers state that they “partner with premier exhibition venues that feature massive spaces with high ceilings and state-of-the-art air filtration systems.” I attended the event in Hall Four; a 5000 sq metre exhibition space at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC). The BCEC ticks all the boxes for the MindBodySpirit event organisers. The space is flexible enough to cater for the large number of exhibitor booths, as well as performance stage and seminar spaces. Through-out the year the event is also held at the Sydney International Convention Centre (ICC) and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
Event operations
Arrival logistics
The MindBodySpirit Festival opened it's doors at 10.00am. I attended in the afternoon, so by the time I arrived the event was well underway. At the entrance there was only a small queue. Pre-registered visitors were presenting a combination of paper tickets and phones to scan in. For those visitors who arrived and were not pre-registered they had the option to register on their phones. Once in the hall I could feel the energy as people were making their way around the exhibition. So, let's not get left behind, allow me take you around some of the key components of this event.
Navigating the floor plan
The exhibition was set in a grid formation with parallel rows of back to back exhibition booths across the hall. By default the rows created corridors for walkway access, these were also broken along the way to allow visitors to cross from one corridor to the next. This is a helpful strategy, if you have ever shopped at IKEA you'll know about the endless maze, so a short cut is always helpful. Because the booths were back to back this limited dead space or "blank walls" of booths. A bill board situated near the entrance to the show stated the exhibitor location and booth number to help with navigation.
The major festival attractions such as, the main stage, workshop spaces and the psychic reading zone, as well as the main cafe were strategically placed around the perimeter of the hall. This enabled these larger attractions to back onto a wall where they had space to the side for equipment, while the front opened to the public for easy promotion and access. The soul food exhibit and the speakers lounge was centrally located. Unlike the the perimeter stands, the speakers lounge was open and visitors could access the seating from 3 sides.
On the right perimeter wall the popular psychic reading room was situated. Here I found individual registration tables prepared to accept people wishing to register for a reading. Inside this space was an arrangement of tables for one-on-one readings. Adjacent to the psychic reading, the meditation, workshop and seminar rooms were located.
Festival set up and zones
CAFE AND CATERING
A large cafe and seating area was located at rear of the hall. Take away food was on offer including sandwiches and pastries. There was also cold drinks and barista made coffee. Cafe seating was available within the cafe area, however to cater for visitor numbers extra tables were provided along the rear of the hall. There were also ten large 180cm diameter round banquet tables that allowed small groups of people to sit, mingle and chat.
SCHOOL ROOM STYLE SET UP
The festival promoted specialised workshops that were held through out the event. The workshop space was set in a schoolroom / classroom format. The space was separated by large walls to give privacy from neighboring activities. Speakers were required to project the presenters voice, as sound was easily lost in the space.
THEATRE STYLE SET UP
The seminar room was located right next door to the workshop space. This theatre style set up allowed for informal presentations on topics such as breathing, essential oils and the powers of healing. Again this space had the microphones and speakers to help with sound, as well as data projector and screen.
EXHIBITION BOOTHS
A key component of this event is the exhibitor promoting their products, that align with MindBodySpirit values. Booths covered the majority of the floor space. Each booth was supplied with lighting and power that has outlets within the floor.
STAGING
The main stage was located at the rear of the hall and was the place to go for major speakers and presentations. This zone had an elevated stage with lighting and theatre style setup for seating. Microphone and speakers were also required here.
Cross promotional marketing
Sustainability
REGISTRATION
The entire registration process was completed online. I completed my registration on a computer, but it could just as easily be done on a phone. Basic personal details were collected such as name, phone and email. The visitor data collected would have set up a comprehensive data base for organisers to promote future events.
PROGRAM GUIDE
Just inside the door I found this poster and QR code. It was clearly promoting the festival's sustainability credentials. This QR code took me straight to the festival program guide / digital flip book. The program guide listed all the relevant details, including a map, exhibitors, and the seminar program.
LESS PLASTIC AND PAPER
One thing noticeably different was the lack of a "show bag". By this I mean the goody bag that contained discount offers, product samples or promotional advertising that was generally handed out on arrival to all visitors. With this omission the environment was the big winner. Just inside the entrance door, recyclable paper bags were available to anyone who required one.
Technology and Communication
The electronic program guide was easily accessible on a mobile phone. The guide was presented as a digital flip book and was created using the "Flipsnack" app. It's really effective, its like turning real glossy pages. This approach sharply reduces the need for producing paper books and brochures.
After registering for the MindBodySpirit Festival, my ticket was sent direct to my email and was easily accessible by phone. One disadvantage of technology is the ease of which emails can be lost! Leading up to the event communication was clear and as the date neared, reminder messages were sent that had entry tickets re-attached
While the show ended, communication continued. Within a week of the event closing I received an email thanking me for my attendance. The email was also used as an opportunity to request feedback on the event.
Workplace health and safety
CARPET = CALM, QUIET & SAFE
Event organisers state that “each festival, in every state, is an approved COVID-Safe event,” and each state’s current health advice is continually monitored. Further; in keeping with the theme of Mind Body Spirit; carpet tiles were chosen over exposed concrete for the hall. This helped to absorb sound and created a sense of calm in the large open space. The large 900mm x 900mm carpet tiles and are laid to cover key walk ways and trip hazards. An added advantage is the non-slip nature of the surface if liquids are spilt.
Stephen's Take
This event was highly organised and well patronised. There were clear efforts to implement sustainability measures and the use of technology appeared flawless from registration through to seeking feedback. It also reiterated to me the importance of clear communication along with regular and clear messaging. The event seems very formula driven and I'd expect to witness a similar format at the Sydney and Melbourne festivals. In certain instances I am not a fan of concrete, so I was pleased to see this event take up the option to lay carpet tiles throughout the hall. This makes a big difference to reduce echoing noise.
Unit of Competency Mapping
Teacher Resources
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Article and all photos original by Stephen Duncan