Will you be attending the 4th Movers and Storers show at the Telford Exhibition Centre?
The 4th Movers and Storers show will take place on 21 and 22 November 2011 at the Telford Exhibition centre. It’s a little later in the year than previously but the organisers have returned to the 2-day format. They have already had excellent bookings for stands and are expecting an even better turnout of visitors.
The show first hit the moving industry’s calendar in 2008 when for two years it took place at the NEC in Birmingham. The choice of venue for an event of this importance is vital and the organisers, Animo Events, say that the location is not always straightforward.
The NEC, though centrally located and with good facilities and transport links, was expensive and was probably a bit over the top for the moving industry, especially during the recession.
Last year the show moved to Telford. Again it has great transport links by road and rail and from Birmingham International airport for attendees from overseas. Last year’s show was a great success which is why Telford has been chosen for 2011.
“We found that at the NEC we had a lot of attendees from the Birmingham area and Telford drew people in from Wales too,” explained Charlotte Parslow from Animo. “It’s great to have lots of interest from local visitors but we also have people travelling from far and wide to visit the show, so transport links are a key consideration.”
But no venue will suit all the people all of the time. “People regularly ask us to stage the show in London but it just isn’t practical. The venues (such as Earls Court, Olympia, the O2, Excel, etc.) are extremely expensive, many don’t have halls of the right size with access to exhibit large vehicles, and as many of our attendees drive we would also be concerned that the congestion charge would put off potential visitors.” Charlotte added that many of the visitors and regular attendees come from the north-east and Scotland so moving the show to London wouldn’t suit them.
As well as the venue itself there are other considerations. For example health and safety requirements can change from one county to another, so the location can influence the design of the floor plan including things like the widths of the aisles. This in turn can affect the number of stands that can be accommodated and, therefore, the cost of exhibiting. It’s a complicated business.
Before finally settling on Telford for 2011 Charlotte and her team considered other venues to try to be as inclusive as possible. But it’s not always as easy as you might think. For this year they considered, among others, the facilities at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, the East of England Showground, Stoneleigh and Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground. “But so far, none have ticked all the boxes,” said Charlotte. And that’s perhaps not surprising when she’s on the lookout for good hotel accommodation nearby, competitive pricing, halls of the right size which can accommodate trucks, outside space, and good transport links. It’s quite a shopping list.
So Telford it is for 2011 but the search is still on for somewhere even better for 2012 and beyond. “There’s lots more we could do if we could find the right venue,” said Charlotte. “For example, if we had more outside space we could have driving competitions and a larger vehicle show.” If you know of anywhere in your area that might fit the bill, please let Charlotte know on charlotte@themoversandstorersshow.co.uk
Meanwhile be sure to book your stand at The Movers and Storers Show 2011 if you are a supplier to the moving industry. If you’d like to visit, it’s free to register online at themoversandstorersshow.co.uk or you can turn up on the day and pay a small entry fee. The organisers will be sending out invitations to the whole moving industry nearer the time.
Treat yourself to a day out and don’t miss the only show in the UK exclusively for the whole moving industry.