A successful new major industry event, Merchandise World took place at NAEC Stoneleigh from Tuesday 19th & Wednesday 20th September 2017.

Mick Humphries at TC Group said: “I just want to say that for us the format and size of the show was just perfect. We got to see all we wanted to see by a mixture of pre-planned appointments and just turning up on the day. This worked much better for us we felt it gave us more flexibility. We also felt that the location and  size of the venue was very good and with easy parking etc.”

As expected, many of the owners and senior management from professional distributors attended Merchandise World, and the 521 visitors were able to have focussed and meaningful conversations with the 200+ exhibitors. Throughout the event 800+ pre-booked appointments took place alongside informal conversations. In the breaks between everyone involved enjoyed the free food and drink, plus of course the pick n’mix sweets!

Many visitors from the south encountered severe difficulties when both carriageways on the M1 motorway were shut both ways from 7.45am for 12 hours; understandably this major incident prevented some being able to make it to Stoneleigh. Thankfully, even this unavoidable issue did not prevent the show buzzing and being a great place to meet new people or to reinforce important relationships.

Merchandise World featured Product Branding World; where visitors could witness a selection of branding methods in a live environment, and The World of British Innovation where they could discover British-made products alongside creative promotional product ideas from design students.

Roy Deakin at Bizz Badge said: “Constantly busy for the two days with quality buyers….What more can you ask for?”

The next Merchandise World will take place at The Wing, Silverstone Circuit on Wednesday 31st January & Thursday 1st February 2018. This event will be the perfect opportunity for management and front-line team in professional distributors to see the latest new products from the industry’s top suppliers and it is clear that the country’s professional distributors will be once again providing their support and attending with many of their sales teams.

Following that, Merchandise World will take place at the brand new Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre (www.farnborough.com) from 12^th September 2018.

Merchandise World is jointly owned by the BPMA and Sourcing City following the merger of The BPMA Show and Sourcing City Marketplace in 2017. 

 

See the pictures from Merchandise World: click here.

 

A Few More thoughts from Merchandise World

Katie Samuel at Animal: “This was our first time at Merchandise World, and also the first time we have looked at co-branding opportunities on our own product. We were naturally apprehensive about how the industry would react to our presence, and whether the show would provide us with an alternative avenue to market but I am pleased to say that it exceeded all expectations. We received a very positive welcome from all attendees, and everyone was excited and interested to hear what we are able to offer. We gathered a lot of good quality contacts and leads during the two days and we are looking forward to building on these over the coming weeks. As a result of the support that we were given this time, we have booked our stand for January and cannot wait to show everyone what we have to offer.”

Jamie Marshall at Premier Print and Promotion: “Excellent show, excellent venue, lovely to catch up with old and new suppliers/distributors. The event demonstrated why our industry is great, because of the people.”

Andrew Langley at Juniper: “Congratulations to the BPMA and Sourcing City for putting on a great show. The quality of the visitors and the conversations that we experienced was superb. As ever the support staff were extremely helpful and attentive and we look forward too many more Merchandise World Events.”

Malcolm Fritschy at Oldeani: “The exhibition went well for us and it was well organised, with quick and easy access. We managed to secure meetings with a select few whom we have been trying to get to see for a long time. All in all, myself and the girls were delighted with the flow of traffic and result, well done, we know how hard it is for you guys to put on a great exhibition.”

Grant Ashworth at U Name It: “A very effective and worthwhile launch event; well organised and I look forward to the January event.”

Godfrey Odonnell at Keramikos: “Both Keramikos and Thermalmate had a great show, top quality visitors, time to engage and not just say hello, well organised and a gem of a venue. Special thanks for the tea and coffee trolley team that walk around…. Well done all.”

Carlo Nardini at Pro-Ad: “Merchandise World was a wonderful show. Good access, good parking and more importantly time to speak with key people and discuss all matters great and small in our partnership of service and supply. Well done, looking forward to January!”

Colin Loughran at Goldstar-Europe: “I just wanted to say a massive thank you to you, David and all the Sourcing City team for organising such a wonderful show. Having a strong peak season show is important for the UK market, and Merchandise World certainly meets that need. All the little touches like free coffee and snacks we’re lovely and made for a great atmosphere, and we look forward to the next one.”

Lynn Corrigan at Senator Pens: “Exhibiting at MW17 offered us the perfect opportunity to showcase the Senator brand to many highly-valued distributors, demonstrating our core brand values; quality, service, and (above all) integrity. As a manufacturer, these must be evident in everything we do. MW17 was the perfect platform in which to show this, and to convey why our customers trust Senator to represent some of the world’s top brands.”

Mark Alderson at First Editions: “Thank you to all the team at SC and the BPMA for their huge effort to create such a fantastic event. The exhibition was a great success giving us access to some real quality leads. I look forward to seeing everyone in January for another exciting event. The Briman group also enjoyed a successful couple of days at Merchandise World. Meeting many of the industry’s leading companies the group enjoyed the opportunity to explain why buying British product can be so beneficial. A particular highlight was the production area where many British manufacturing techniques were demonstrated to distributors first hand.”

Neil Collis at Promotional Ceramics: “I really enjoyed the show at Stoneleigh, I thought you guys did a great job in getting the top distributors there for us to see.”

Published on: September 26th, 2017