ADVERTISING EXHIBITION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22052, 7 September 1933, Page 7

ADVERTISING EXHIBITION

“A TRIUMPH" LABOUR OF LOVE AND FAITH (From Opr Own Correspondent.) LONDON. July 27. After a most successful week the Advertising and Marketing Exhibition at Olympia has closed. Sir William Crawford, chairman of the Organising Committee, described the exhibition as “a' triumph.” Advertising and marketing had been done a service that would never be forgotten. The best interests of home trade, of infer-Impen.il trade, and of -world trade had been served. No exhibition in all history had received such notable support. The King, the Queen, and the Prince of Wales, and nearly nil the members of the Royal FamtU- had been to Olympia and had stayed longer than they intended because of the exhibition’s importance to commerce. The president, Major the Hon. J J, Astor, had given unfailing and splendid support to all. His courage and sincerity had carried them through what were at times dark hours. Sir William added that he had just heard that Paeketeria, the Shop of 1950, was to be re-erected in a department store so that tens of thousands more

niight sec what had been one of the exhibition’s greatest attractions. Prince George visited the exhibition late in the week, and spent several hours inspecting the various exhibits, including the model of Mr Joseph Emberton’s design for the new extension of the Olympia buildings across the road from the present ■ site, and was interested to hear of the plans for a new structure that will seat 20,000 persons, and which will enabje the London section of the British Industries Fair to be held in one group of adjacent buildings. Prince George stated that he was particularly impressed _by the world-wide nature of the services offered to manufacturers, and when he i learned that more than £150,000,000 was spent by British firms every year on advertising he said he now quite understood the importance and vitality of advertising. At the closing session of the Advertising Convention, which had been held concurrently with the exhibition, the delegates stood in sijence as a tribute to the memory of the late Lord Burnham. Major Astor said that one of the main purposes throughout the week had been the review of Empire trade in the light of recent and continuing developments, bo that wherever possible they might forge new links. One of the features of the convention had been the strong representation from the dominions and colonies. Each one of those delegates had given testimony to the goodwill that Great Britain enjoyed in those countries, and that goodwill the British people regarded as a very precious possession. One of their aims had been to try to revive confidence in trade. The exhibition had, indeed, been an expression of Britain’s own hopefulness for the future.

From speaker after speaker, and from none more than the president of the Board of Trade, they had heard much to confirm them in their confidence, to encourage them in their methods, and to cheer them on their way. If their discussions and experiences at Olympia had enabled them to heave a brick into the pool of diffidence and apathy they should have done a useful week’s work, and one very creditable to the Advertising Association. RUN WITHOUT CAPITAL. Sir William Crawford said that he had personally visited 70 stands to ascertain the effect of the exhibition on th e exhibitors. The reply in each case was a desire to have the exhibition again, because there had never been an exhibition where they bad sold more goods or received more promises of business. That wonderful result was a tribute to all who had helped to organise the exhibition, and in particular to the leadership of Major Astor. “ I believe,” said Sir William, “ if you had given me £1,000,000 to spend on publicity we could not have achieved such ■wonderful results as we have achieved this week. It has exhausted physically the men who have run it, but it has been a great labour of love. The business has been run without any capital. We have run all this great show with no capital. It has been run on the faith, the character, and the capacity of the men concerned. That is something to achieve without a penny down. It shows a spiritual side that is greater than the economic. It proves that the spirit of man is bigger than anything in the world. The support we have had has been a great stimulus to us, and it is an expression that we have the support of others.”