PestEx delivered! Visitors from far and wide piled into ExCeL in Londons Docklands on 10 & 11 April to take part in this event which is held every other year.
Organisers the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) deserve a pat on the back for putting on an event which lived-up to expectations. In the run-up to the show extra stands had to be built to accommodate all those exhibitors wanting to have a stand. In total there were nearly 90 exhibitors, some 20 more than in 2011.
Having grabbed the exhibitors, the key question was – would the visitor numbers also show a significant increase? Yes was the emphatic answer. The figures released by BPCA show a 24% increase in people over the two days. The event saw 2,369 people (including exhibitors) attend in total, compared with 1,911 in 2011. Broken down over the days, there were 876 visitors on Wednesday (day one) and a further 486 new visitors on day two (Thursday). To these figures you have to add the 446 exhibitor personnel looking after their stands and the numerous visitors who attended on day one and then returned on the second day. Read our exhibition report. But it wasn’t just the exhibition stands which attracted people. Running alongside the exhibition was a series of two concurrent technical and business seminars which were also very popular. Certainly trying to do justice to these and visit the exhibition did require more than one day. For a review of these seminars click below for: Strong international presence However, this is something of a ‘double-edged sword’. It is good news for all those exhibitors who sell their goods and services internationally – as is the growing trend. But bad news if you are an exhibitor who only trades within the UK. This increase in an overseas presence also reinforces the differences between PestEx and the annual PestTech exhibition which has always had a more practical and local following. BPCA’s technical manager, Richard Moseley, sums this up saying: “It is clear the majority of our exhibitors now sell products across international boundaries, and PestEx provides them with a perfect platform to reach pest management professionals from across the globe.” The last word should go to BPCA chief executive, Simon Forrester, who said: “We were really pleased to see the volume and quality of people at the show. I’ve been organising trade exhibitions for almost 20 years, and this is the best response I’ve ever had. I want to express my personal thanks to the BPCA staff and the team from Dewberry Redpoint, who made the event shine. I’d also like to thank the visitors and exhibitors who travelled so far to make the event so successful.” Plans for 2015… |
Delegates registering on the door
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