Eaton & Access Displays: Ten Years in the Making
Eaton is one of the world’s leading power management companies, with tens of thousands of employees, operations spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and revenues in the billions built on helping customers manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more safely and sustainably. It’s a brand that shows up in energy, infrastructure, industrial manufacturing, renewables, data centres, utilities, transportation and safety critical environments, which means there’s no room for inconsistency, especially in the live, pressurised world of exhibitions and showrooms.
That’s the environment Access Displays has worked in alongside Eaton for over a decade.
The brief, in its simplest form, was this. Find a partner who could hold Eaton’s brand together across multiple European territories, turn genuinely complex technical products into something people want to walk up to and touch, handle everything from modest regional stands to major flagship builds with the same level of care, and, critically, think like part of the Eaton team rather than an outside supplier.
Ten years, more than 50 stands and several permanent showrooms later, that’s exactly what’s happened.
A Decade of Delivery
Access Displays has designed, built and delivered exhibition environments for Eaton at some of Europe’s biggest industry events, including Offshore Europe, Drives & Controls, CEF, Solar & Storage and The Fire Safety Show. Alongside these, the team has created permanent client showrooms that let Eaton’s people demonstrate products and tell their story to customers every day, not just for the week of a show.
“Thank you so much for all your help over the past few months with the event. The stand looked fantastic, and I really appreciate the effort you and your team put into making it such a success.”
Eaton
The Name Behind the Partnership
Ask anyone on Eaton’s European teams who they call first when a project is taking shape, and you’ll hear one name: Emma Thatcher.
Emma is a Senior Manager at Access Displays with more than 25 years in exhibitions and live environments, and she has led the Eaton account for over ten years. Her role goes well beyond project delivery. She has become a genuine strategic sounding board for Eaton’s regional Sales and Marketing Directors, someone they bring ideas to before the brief has even been written.
A few things set that relationship apart:
- She starts with the why. Before a single panel gets designed, Emma works to understand what a particular show or environment actually needs to achieve for Eaton: who’s walking the floor, what the commercial and technical messages are, and how the stand fits into the bigger regional picture. It’s a habit that keeps every build tied to strategy rather than just aesthetics.
- She knows how things get built. Structural engineering, rigging, modular and bespoke systems, lighting and AV integration, power and data compliance across a patchwork of European venue regulations. Emma’s technical grounding means problems get spotted and solved before they become expensive surprises on site.
- Nothing slips through. Eaton’s Sales and Marketing Directors consistently point to Emma’s attention to detail: brand consistency, material quality, logistics that actually hold up under pressure. When something does threaten to go wrong, it tends to get handled quietly, long before anyone else notices.
- She’s easy to work with. Responsive, straightforward and honest even when the news isn’t what people want to hear, Emma stays accountable from first concept through to de rig. It’s a big part of why Eaton’s regional teams go to her directly rather than working through layers of process.
- She understands the product, not just the stand. A decade of close collaboration means Emma now understands Eaton’s technology and markets almost as well as Eaton’s own people do, enough to design spaces that support real product storytelling and reflect how customers actually engage with the equipment in the field.
Where That’s Left Things
More than 50 projects delivered across Europe. A consistent, high quality brand presence at the industry’s biggest events. Long term trust with Eaton’s regional and global teams, and a steady stream of repeat work spanning exhibitions, showrooms and bespoke environments. And, not least, a reputation for Emma as the person Eaton’s teams turn to first for ideas, advice and delivery.
It’s a partnership that shows what’s possible when a global organisation finds an exhibition partner who treats the work as seriously as they do. For anyone considering Access Displays for their own complex, multi market programme, it’s a great picture of what to expect.
Ready to Build Something Similar?
If you’re looking for an exhibition partner who can bring the same level of strategic thinking, technical expertise and long-term commitment to your brand, we’d love to talk.
Explore our exhibition services and get in touch to start the conversation.
