The Showman's Show 2009
- The Review
The Showman’s Show has come and gone again attracting over 4,500 visitors. Over the two days visitors experienced a full and varied program that included plenty of new equipment, product launches and one or two celebrations. After a demanding year exhibitors who were looking forward to meeting new customers and reconnecting with old ones were not disappointed, as the number of visitors through the door over the two days met all their expectations.
“It has been better than we could have hoped for. It’s been a difficult year for everyone but The Showman’s Show never disappoints and always delivers a quality audience. This year was no exception!” commented lanyard and security wristband provider Chris Wilkey of ID&C Ltd. Chris went on to say: “Our new ‘Smartlock’ wristband with 2D bar coding was very well received and I’m looking forward to following up on many good leads picked up over the two days.”
Catering is essential for any event and with so many different types of catering units at the Show, visitors were spoilt for choice. The Coffee Cart Company, second in the stand awards for ‘Exhibition Stand up to and including 10 metres frontage’, provided coffee lovers with a new coffee pod concept that is totally mobile, sleek and attractive. It can be used within any indoor environment but more importantly it produces exceptional coffee. There were other innovations within the catering mix this year showcased by the SFC Group, who exhibited their new mobile catering and semi-permanent kiosks, which are unique to them. The kiosks are run using electric power only and have been designed without the need for a trailer fitting, which means no unsightly tow bars and with the units placed directly onto the ground the caterer can engage more easily with the customer.
Paul Beynon of the SFC Group commented: “These units are a health and safety dream as there are no tow bars to trip over or any possibility of a gas leak as they are totally run on electricity. The concept was well received by visitors and we made several new contacts, which I am looking forward to following up for next year’s season.”
In amongst the services and product launches there were also celebrations; Fonix LED had an excellent result in the Stand Awards coming first in ‘Exhibition Stand above 10 metres frontage to below 20 metres’, third in ‘Exhibition Stand of any dimension with the best interior design’ and receiving the Special Award for the ‘Best Exhibition Stand in the Show’. In addition, established exhibitor, Custom Covers, was celebrating their 25th anniversary and they did it in style. Custom Covers launched their 9m Tri Cone triangular tensile roof and their new Cruciform PVC roof; that joins two 9m structures at full height with a 90 degree angle and no gutters.
Chief Executive, Robert Sanders, said: “25 years is a significant milestone in anybody’s history. The party was a way of thanking all our customers who have supported us over the years. We have prospered for a quarter of a century by focussing relentlessly on what our customers want; quality, value for money and good service.”
There were also one or two surprises including the discovery of exhibitor, Robert Fall, who undertook the electrical installation at the first ever Show, then called The Showman’s Directory Comes to Life, with another company in 1984 and was back 25 years later exhibiting with his own electrical services company, Inter-Lec Ltd, assisted by his son Andrew. Robert and Andrew even had the original 1984 certificate for being part of the first Show.
Robert Fall commented: “It was exciting to be back at The Show after so many years and see just how far the industry has progressed since those early years back in the eighties. We had a really good day and I was delighted to see the Show still in the hands of the Lance family, who have done a splendid job of firmly establishing the event as one of the main event supplier focussed exhibitions in the industry today.”
All eyes are now focussed on the event season of 2010 which will culminate, as always, with The Showman’s Show on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st October. If you would like more information about The Showman’s Show or you would like to order a 2010 Showman’s Directory contact Lance Show and Publications Limited on 01730 266624.