Trade shows have evolved dramatically over the past decade. Whilst striking exhibition stand design remains important, visitors increasingly expect interactive experiences that are memorable, engaging and worth stopping for.
For engineering component supplier Accu, Smart Manufacturing Week presented an opportunity to completely rethink what an exhibition stand could become.
Rather than relying solely on product displays and conversations with visitors, the Accu team set themselves an ambitious challenge - to create a fully operational robot fighting exhibition that would become a destination within the event itself.
The result was the Accu Presents FightFest Arena, an exciting live experience combining engineering, entertainment and technical production to create one of the most talked-about attractions across the exhibition.
To ensure the production matched the ambition of the concept, Accu partnered with Stream7 to provide the complete technical delivery behind the scenes.
From multi-camera production and LED displays through to lighting, graphics, sound and live vision mixing, our team ensured every visitor could experience the action, whether they were standing arena side or watching from across the exhibition hall.
Accu is one of the UK’s leading precision engineering component suppliers, serving engineers and manufacturers around the world.
Known for their innovative marketing campaigns and commitment to inspiring future engineers, the team consistently looks for creative ways to stand out at industry events.
Rather than exhibiting in a traditional way, Accu wanted their Smart Manufacturing Week presence to become an experience that visitors would actively seek out throughout the event.
Exhibitions are busy environments.
With hundreds of exhibitors competing for attention, visitors often have limited time to explore every stand. Brands therefore face a significant challenge - how do you encourage someone to stop, spend time with you and remember your business long after the event has finished?
Having successfully introduced robot fighting demonstrations at the previous year’s exhibition, Accu wanted to dramatically expand the concept for 2026.
Accu Presents FightFest would be larger, louder and far more immersive.
Instead of simply showcasing products, the exhibition stand would become a live entertainment venue, with robot battles taking place throughout the day in front of hundreds of spectators.
The production needed to achieve several objectives simultaneously:
Deliver an engaging live experience throughout the exhibition
Attract visitors from across the exhibition hall, and those attending other shows in the NEC
Reflect Accu’s innovative and energetic brand
Provide excellent visibility for large audiences
Capture professional content for future marketing campaigns
Operate reliably across multiple days of continuous live demonstrations
Delivering all of this within the constraints of a busy exhibition environment required careful planning, robust technical workflows and experienced production specialists.
Stream7 was responsible for designing and delivering the complete technical production that powered the Accu Presents FightFest Arena.
Rather than supplying individual pieces of equipment, we created an integrated production solution where every technical element worked together to support the visitor experience.
Our production package included:
Multi-camera production
Live vision mixing
Large-format LED display management
Live graphics
Digital signage
Professional event lighting
Sound reinforcement
Playback systems
Technical crew
Event recording
By bringing every technical discipline together under one production team, the event benefitted from a coordinated workflow that ensured consistent quality throughout every robot battle.
Robot fights are fast, unpredictable and full of action.
To ensure visitors never missed a key moment, Stream7 deployed a multi-camera production system capable of capturing every angle of the arena.
Multiple camera feeds were mixed live throughout the event, allowing our vision mixing team to select the best shots in real time as battles unfolded.
This approach created a broadcast-style viewing experience that significantly enhanced audience engagement.
Visitors watching on the surrounding LED displays were able to enjoy close-up views of every collision, movement and winning moment, even when standing several rows back from the arena.
The professional production values helped elevate the experience far beyond a typical exhibition demonstration.
In any busy exhibition hall, visibility is everything.
Large crowds quickly gathered around the Accu Presents FightFest Arena, making it impossible for every visitor to stand close to the action.
Our LED display solution ensured that everyone could follow the battles regardless of where they were positioned.
The LED walls became far more than simple screens.
Throughout the event they displayed:
Live camera feeds
Dynamic event graphics
Match information
Branded content
Sponsor messaging
Live action from inside the arena
By combining professional live production with high-quality LED displays, the entire exhibition stand became a visually striking destination that attracted attention from across the venue.
The technical production extended well beyond cameras and displays.
Our team designed a complete live event environment that gave the Accu Presents FightFest Arena the atmosphere of a professional sporting event.
Live graphics kept audiences informed throughout each match, whilst carefully designed lighting enhanced both the arena itself and the overall visual impact of the stand.
Professional sound reinforcement ensured commentary, announcements and event audio remained clear despite the challenging acoustics of a busy exhibition hall.
Every technical element worked together to build excitement and encourage visitors to stay longer, helping maximise engagement throughout the day.
Unlike conferences or one-off presentations, exhibition activations demand continuous operation.
The Accu Presents FightFest Arena ran repeatedly throughout Smart Manufacturing Week, with live fights taking place continuously across the two-day event.
Reliability therefore became just as important as creativity.
Our experienced production team remained on-site throughout the exhibition, monitoring every element of the technical workflow and making adjustments where required to ensure the production continued running smoothly from the first demonstration of the day until the last.
This allowed the Accu team to focus entirely on presenting, engaging with visitors and delivering an exceptional experience, confident that every technical aspect was being managed behind the scenes.
One of the biggest opportunities at exhibitions is the amount of content that can be captured.
Too often, businesses invest significant budgets into exhibition stands only to leave with a handful of smartphone photographs.
The Accu Presents FightFest Arena took a different approach.
Because every battle was already being captured through our professional multi-camera production system, Stream7 simultaneously created a comprehensive library of broadcast-quality footage for Accu’s in-house marketing team.
The recorded content now provides a valuable resource that can be repurposed into:
Promotional videos
Social media content
Website videos
Recruitment campaigns
Customer case studies
Future exhibition marketing
Behind-the-scenes content
Internal communications
By integrating content creation into the live production workflow, the exhibition continues delivering marketing value long after Smart Manufacturing Week has ended.
The Accu Presents FightFest Arena quickly established itself as one of the standout attractions at Smart Manufacturing Week.
Large crowds gathered throughout the exhibition to watch the battles, creating a constant buzz around the stand and encouraging visitors to spend more time engaging with the Accu team.
The professional production helped transform an ambitious creative concept into a polished live experience that reflected Accu’s innovative approach to engineering and marketing.
“Our ambition was to generate significant brand visibility while delivering a truly captivating experience for the audience. The technical expertise provided by Stream7 was instrumental in transforming that concept into a reality, driving immense engagement and ensuring our presence became a primary destination for visitors throughout the exhibition.”
Behind the scenes, every aspect of the technical production was managed by Stream7, allowing Accu to focus entirely on creating memorable interactions with visitors.
Beyond the event itself, the extensive library of professionally recorded content ensures the value of the exhibition extends well beyond the days spent at the NEC.
Instead of ending when the exhibition doors closed, the Accu Presents FightFest Arena continues to support Accu’s wider marketing strategy through high-quality video content that can be shared across multiple platforms throughout the year.
Exhibitions are significant investments.
From stand design and staffing through to travel and marketing, businesses invest substantial time and budget into making an impact.
“The best exhibition stands don’t just showcase products - they create moments people remember. The Accu Presents FightFest Arena perfectly demonstrated what’s possible when creative ideas are backed by professional technical production. It was fantastic to help Accu deliver an experience that captured attention, kept visitors engaged and generated high-quality content that continues to provide value well beyond the exhibition itself.”
Professional event production helps maximise that investment by transforming exhibition stands into experiences that attract larger audiences, encourage visitors to stay longer and create memorable brand interactions.
When combined with professional content capture, businesses also leave with valuable marketing assets that continue delivering return on investment long after the event has finished.
The Accu Presents FightFest Arena demonstrates exactly what’s possible when creative thinking is combined with experienced technical production.
Whether you’re planning a product launch, exhibition stand, interactive activation or live brand experience, Stream7 provides complete event production services that help transform ideas into memorable experiences.
From LED walls and live camera production to lighting, sound, content capture and live streaming, our experienced team works alongside clients to deliver technically robust events that engage audiences and maximise return on investment.
If you’re looking to create an exhibition stand that visitors will remember, we’d love to help bring your vision to life.
