ETO Awards
On the first evening of the ETO Show (4th July) we are pleased to host the ETO Summer Cocktail Party and ETO Awards. We will celebrate the nominated and winning companies across 23 categories in the Oasis Suite of the Crowne Plaza hotel on the NEC site. There will be cocktails on entry and a superb buffet before the big awards ceremony. Tickets are £35 + VAT for individuals or £300 + VAT for tables of 10. Dress code is smart casual.
For tickets please contact Jonathan Kirk on jonathan@etoshow.com or 07786 925080
2009 Report
Paul Smith reports back from the 2009 ETO Show, which took place at the NEC, Birmingham, on July 5th and 6th...
Another year, another ETO Show? No. Not even close. Because the 12 months since the last ETO Show have been far from just 'another year' - it's been a year of increased costs and lower sales for many, with margins squeezed like morning orange juice and some big names vanishing from the industry. Expectations were mixed - would people risk giving up a never-more precious day's business to attend? On the other hand, in the current trading environment could they afford not to?
Short of paying for their train tickets, everything to help and encourage visitors to come had been done. Free entry tickets in the magazine, Show guides and helpful advice had been printed. Following feedback from last year, the event had been moved to early July to avoid the school holidays, while the popular weekend/weekday format had been retained to offer the best of both worlds to visitors. As always, the Show was in the hands of ETO's readers. "If you build it, they will come" might work in the movies, but this was Birmingham. There were no guarantees.
It was sunny as the doors opened on Sunday the 5th of July, at 10.30am, but there were no crowds to photograph. Indeed, it took a while before there were enough people in the aisles to confirm the Show had started. This did nothing for the tension. Nothing good, anyway. Exhibitors had invested time and money - and hope - in this Show.
The good news arrived shortly later, when I realised I couldn't hear the background music over the sound of business being done in the hall. The early murmur of 'Where is everyone?' had turned into a buzz of 'Hello, how are you?' 'Can I show you this' and 'I'm looking for...'. A scoot around the 50 trade stands showed me virtually everyone was busy with a potential customer or two on their stand.
With a near-audible sigh of relief, the Show closed at 5pm, with the general consensus being it'd been better attended than expected, and the overall quality of attendees also praised. It had been built, they had come. And we'd be doing it all again tomorrow. In the meantime, it was the ETO Awards and barbie at the new Forum Bar in the LG Arena...
Monday July the 6th, and folks were wondering where the summer had gone. Sunday's blue skies had been replaced with something a lot greyer but there was a queue forming ahead of the 10.30am start and whatever apprehension was still hanging around my system like spent adrenaline faded away...