Steve Powell from Fresh Display is the exhibition management expert. Owner Steve and his team are passionate about providing quality exhibition and display solutions to clients throughout the UK and Europe, bringing your brand and message to life for your customers.
In the industry for nearly two decades, Fresh Display has been a partner of Sussex Business Show for many years, even helping Sonny with his own stands prior to the show’s beginnings! It’s this shared history and shared love for portraying messages effectively at exhibitions that make Fresh Display the ideal sponsor for the Sussex Business Show.
We catch up with Steve Powell on all things business and life.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned over your career?
Things change: situations change, clients leave, you have a recession or a pandemic or something like that. Things happen in business which are out of your control. But what I would say is just keep plugging away. And what I’ve really learned is that one door closes and another door opens, so keep going.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out in your career?
What I would say is, certainly in exhibitions, it is not a nine to five job. And if that’s what you’re looking for, then it’s probably not the career for you, because it’s just quite unsociable hours, working at the weekends, working late at night. The rewards are there, but you’ve got to be prepared to work when other people are enjoying themselves.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
For me, it would be Italy. I lived in Bari, down the south of Italy when I was 20 for a year. Absolutely loved it. We always try and holiday as much as we can there, but, yes I love the country, love the people, the weather and especially the food. So Italy, definitely.
I also took my favourite trip ever here to celebrate my 50th birthday with a couple of friends. We took our old Italian Lambretta bikes and had a couple of days riding around Milan and then five days riding around Lake Garda, which was amazing and the most fun you could have on ten inch wheels.
What has been your least favourite job to date?
I think, I mean I had quite a few, in and out of a few jobs in my sort of early twenties when uh, I got back from Italy, just to sort of find the right thing. And one of the jobs I really disliked was, salesman in Curry’s in Crawley. It just was not for me at all. Standing around on the shop floor waiting for people to buy the sound systems because you got the most commission on those sort of things. I didn’t last very long.
What are three movies you recommend to our audience and why?
1 / 2 ) The Godfather will probably be my number one and two. Just because they’re absolute classics, and atmospheric movies. The second one also has the best soundtrack I can think of in a film.
3) Quadrophenia.
Whilst it might be dated, in 1979 / 1980, this was what changed my life and all my mates’ lives. And in fact, we’re still riding Lambretta’s today as a testament to this movie. That’d be it.
We’re looking forward to having Steve work his magic at the Sussex Business Show this September and know his stand will be worth a peek. If you need any support with your stand for the Sussex Business Show, please feel free to contact Steve via his corporate website Fresh Display or via LinkedIn.