What’s Next? For Fern, It’s 100% Refunds on Exhibitor Cancellations

Sue Pelletier, Senior Editor

October 2, 2020

Marketing support and trade show services just got a little more exhibitor-friendly, at least for customers of services provider Fern and its sister company NexxtShow. As of October 1, any exhibitor who places an order with Fern or NexxtShow through their OneView exhibitor portal can get a 100% refund, no questions asked, when they cancel services at least seven days prior to show opening.

Fern President and CEO Aaron Bludworth said that the cancellation refund initiative was one of several his company had been looking at to enhance the exhibitor service experience across the organization. “The timing of initiatives of this nature is always the wildcard,” Bludworth said, but the challenges facing the industry right now due to the pandemic requires flexibility by all stakeholders, from health and safety practices to methods of experience delivery and financial models.

“We felt that this change would be a positive step to help get trade shows moving forward. Additionally, it gives exhibitors the confidence to commit to events knowing that if conditions change, they would be able to get a refund without hassle or hesitation,” he said.

While cancellation charges historically helped providers plan for, and hopefully avoid, incurring excess costs, “In the bigger picture, a small percentage of exhibitors having to make a business decision to cancel is far outweighed by the upside that we would experience by the return of events,” Bludworth said.

Fern and NexxtShow didn’t make the decision in a vacuum. “As with many of our decisions, we rely on a group of trusted clients to provide us insight and feedback as we work through these types of initiatives,” Bludworth said. “The initial feedback from that group and those receiving the marketing release has been positive as it specifically eliminates one barrier show organizers are facing in getting exhibitors comfortable in committing to returning events.