It was amazing, overwhelming, tiring and fabulous.

By Kim Ellis

When I set up L&D Free Spirits I knew 1 thing – I wanted to exhibit at World of Learning. But before I get into it all, let me give you a little bit of background.

Over 8 years ago when I was still employed, I was given the opportunity to attend my first ever L&D conference. And that was World of Learning, back then it was only once per year at the NEC in Birmingham. The company paid for me to attend the conference on the first day and then I stayed as an exhibition visitor on the second day.

To say I was like a kid in a sweet shop was a bit of an understatement.

I was inspired by the speakers at the conference and the seminars, I made new connections, I bounced ideas…and I got a load of merch.

After being in the world of L&D for many years, I’d been sheltered. I had no idea things like this existed…or how friendly they were. It was less about sales and more about conversation, sharing ideas and growing as a professional.

For that reason, World of Learning will always have a special place in my heart.

Now fast forward to 2020, when I became a Director on the Board of The Learning Network, I had the privilege of exhibiting with them on their stand. I saw the power and impact being an exhibitor held. People were seeking us out, not just to buy the membership but to chat, catch up and become friends.

Exhibiting with the LN gave me the confidence to exhibit as L&D Free Spirits.

Exhibiting with the LN gave me the confidence to exhibit as L&D Free Spirits.

As you know, we opened our doors in September, so I figured the October conference was going to be a little too early. Plus, at that time I was still a Board Director with the LN, so I wanted to support them on their stand. I needed to have more of an offering for members before I exhibit. So, after chatting with Hayley Maisey, our Wizard of Marketing, we set our sights on the WoL Summit in February 2025.

During the October event, I was chatting with Tom McDowall, and we floated the idea of splitting the L&D Free Spirit stand to give a member the opportunity to exhibit alongside us at no extra cost (except from buying their own banner). It was such a fabulous idea that I immediately sought out Tracy Shah from Venture Marketing Group, who run the event and tested the waters. To my absolute delight she agreed to let me run with the idea. So, I started planning.

It’s easy to go absolutely nuts when you exhibit, but you’ve got to keep an eye on costs.

First off, I needed a banner. I was going to be exhibiting at the LN Connect Conference in the November, so I needed one pretty quickly.

Then I was thinking about what merch would draw people to the stand. Because I love knitting, I decided to knit as many headbands as possible and give them away. I knew with my expo package I would only have a small table so I couldn’t show them off, instead I made them an ‘under the table’ thing. People either had to ask for them or be offered them.

I figured having secret merch was a great social media opportunity.

Next up Hayley created the marketing campaign for the stand share, and we opened up the application process in December. We then had the applicants deliver a 10-minute presentation to a panel followed by Q&A time. The panel deliberated and then chose the successful candidate.

And so, Stuart Birley from Pathfinder Consultancy joined us on the stand. He had exhibited before with a previous employer but never as himself, so it was great to support him at his first expo.

Stuart said:

It was nice to see some smaller vendors / stalls all located nicely. Not too cramped and not too over-powered by larger organisations. Was great to  have such a wide variety of conversations too.

The planning ramped up as the event got closer.

So, we had out banner, we had headbands, we had our co-exhibitor. But something was missing.

We needed something else to draw people to the stand and to discover everything L&D Free Spirits has to offer…let’s do a 10-day taster. It was something that had been mentioned to me a couple of times, so I thought it was worth trying. So, I whipped up a flyer, sorted a sign-up form and got 100 printed.

Then I was thinking if our headbands aren’t on show, what else could I put on the table. I had pens, but I always have something edible too. Cue the Lindor online shop and rather than normal red balls I decided to buy 10 boxes of balls which were colour coded with our logo.

Remember earlier when I said keep an eye on costs? That went out of the window.

The event was only a couple of weeks away and Hayley (who was going to be with me on day 1) asked what I was wearing. Which got us onto the idea of having branded t-shirts. So, I ordered those, and a few baseball caps too for Andy Candler and Viv Cole who had also agreed to spend some time on the stand.

Now we were ready, oh hang on, I need a trolley to carry everything and a magazine stand for the course brochures too. Thank gosh for Amazon next day delivery!

Time for the event!

I’d organised with Stuart to meet him at the expo at 4pm the day before the event. We needed to get our space all set up so we could position everything for maximum impact for people walking by.

The morning of the event comes round and I’m buzzing, it doesn’t matter that I hardly slept, I’m so excited. I head over to the Olympia for 8am, well a little before so I had to wait outside. Delegates can arrive from 8:30am so I had to be there early to put everything out on the table and the magazine rack.

Stuart arrives followed by Hayley, Andy and Viv. I’m feeling so grateful to having their support on the stand as it starts to get really busy. So busy in fact that Carl Crisostomo commented that we were the busiest stand. Just hearing that makes me all warm and fuzzy.

A few people even said they’d come to the event just to come and see us – now that proper warms the cockles.

The first day went by in a whirlwind, there were so many conversations and new faces. Also, so many people from within our own networks who came by to offer a kind word and support. I’m truly humbled by the amount of support shown by everyone, thank you so much.

I had wanted to record some videos of people throughout the day with advice for people starting out, and I wanted to get some pictures. But we were too busy! Which is amazing but a lesson learned for next time.

Like I said, day one was nuts! People were waiting to talk to us, which adds to pressure because you don’t want people to feel ignored. Being this busy also means it’s difficult to find time to go around the expo and network with other exhibitors – you’re best off doing that either first thing or last thing.

I had planned to go to the LN Social that evening, but I was wiped out, so instead I headed back to my room and ate toast. I couldn’t even muster up the energy to get actual food. I nodded off at 8pm for half an hour while watching Dickinsons Real Deal on the TV.

Our flyers literally flew off the table, and the headbands were a huge hit – as were the Lindt balls.

Day two was less busy so people came to the stand and had a sit down, the conversations were deeper, and people had more time. It was a huge contrast from day one, and while it’s amazing being busy – I do like having a proper sit down with people and learning about them.

I love chatting, I love finding out what people do and how they do it. I love being inspired by peoples’ stories. Day two gave us the space to breathe.

Now the expo is over, it’s time to play catch up.

When you’re exhibiting you have to put your life on hold for a couple of days, which means the emails start to pile up. The LinkedIn notifications blow up, as they always to with the tags and comments (which is amazing, but you do need to keep on top of it).

You also need to make sure you follow up with people who you said you would. Make sure you do it when the lead is still warm and not weeks afterwards. They need to still remember who you are – I know I need to be better at this, but it can be a real struggle on top of everything else.

Has it been worth it?

Only time will tell if exhibiting has been worth it from a monetary perspective, because exhibiting isn’t cheap. From a reputational perspective, it was better than I could have ever imagined.

People came to see us! People were interested! People followed us on social media! People signed up to the taster! People signed up to the mailing list!

There were so many more self-employed folks at the expo than I expected.

Thank you to everyone who popped by the stand, to Stuart, Hayley, Andy and Viv for helping out (and keeping me sane). And thank you to the organisers for checking in on us and making sure we had everything we needed.

If you’re thinking about exhibiting, here are my top tips…

Plan ahead & set goals
Be clear on why you’re exhibiting. Is it for brand awareness, generating leads, or networking? Having a focus will help you measure success.

Budget wisely
Costs can quickly spiral, so prioritise essentials: stand design, marketing materials, and travel. Keep an eye on the “nice to haves” (yes, even the Lindt balls!).

Think beyond the stand
Don’t just rely on people walking by – actively promote your presence in advance via LinkedIn, email, and social media.

Make your stand engaging
Secret merch, interactive elements, or a fun theme can attract visitors. Give people a reason to stop and chat.

Get the right support
Having extra people on the stand means you can take breaks, network, and ensure visitors aren’t waiting too long to talk to you.

Be present & energetic
Stand up, smile, and be ready to chat. Sitting behind a table on your phone won’t draw people in!

Capture leads effectively
Have a sign-up form, QR code, or even a simple notebook to jot down key contacts. And don’t forget to follow up while they still remember you.

Take breaks & stay hydrated
Exhibition days are long, and running on adrenaline only gets you so far. Drink water, grab food, pace yourself and make sure you wear your most comfortable shoes.

Use social media in real-time
Post updates, tag visitors, and engage with attendees online – it’s a great way to expand your reach beyond the event floor.

Follow up quickly
The real work starts after the event. Reach out to new contacts, connect on LinkedIn, and keep conversations going while interest is fresh.

Thanks for reading and hope to see you all at the World of Learning Conference and Exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham on 7^th and 8^th October 2025.