Promotional Marketing Exhibition proves success

The Promotional Marketing Exhibition 2007 was a successful showcase for 200 exhibitors, including manufacturers, distributors and service suppliers from the promotions and motivation sector.

The exhibitors attracted over 2,100 visitors to one of London's premier exhibition arenas, Olympia, an increase of approximately 10% over the visitor figure for the launch event held in 2006.

(Official audited figures awaited from Audit Bureau of Circulation.) The show attracted visitors from Europe and Pakistan as well as the UK, and from as far away as Australia.

Exhibitors included major names such as Debenhams, Filofax Group, Marks and Spencer, Marriott Individual Incentives, Russ Berrie, Prodir, Sanford UK, GroovyChocolate, Non-Stop Promotions and Marketing, Business Baubles, Wallace Cameron Group, MaCookie, Product Warehouse, Podium Rewards, Oldeani, United Kingdom Import Corporation, Europa Watch and Design, Nauticalia and Print Run, many of whom are among the many companies who have already reserved 45% of the space for the 2008 event.

The industry's governing organisations - British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA), Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP) and The Va (Voucher Association) - all supported the 2007 event and had stands there.

Gordon Glenister, Director General of the BPMA, said: "The Promotional Marketing Exhibition 2007 provided the BPMA with a key opportunity to promote a number of initiatives such as the Entrepreneur of the Industry 2007 in addition to the official unveiling of the new BPMA website.

"Our stand was buzzing with members and the industry testing out all the new website functions".

Edwin Mutton, Director-General of the ISP commented: "The new venue gave a fresh appeal to the PME and the quality of visitor provided excellent networking.

"The seminar programme was outstanding and hopefully will be built on for 2008.

"The format of three or four experts mediated by an industry figure worked extremely well".

As the Promotional Marketing Exhibition is one of the key industry events of the year, it seemed a suitable occasion to acknowledge all that's best in the industry, and the show organisers made a number of awards.

The Promotional Marketing Exhibition Awards for the Most Innovative Product was won by 'i name it' for their personalised calendar; Most Innovative Service was taken by Pace Network for the company's on-stand one-to-one consultancy service advising on fulfilment, distribution and global logistics; Best Pre-Show Promotion was awarded to Procurement International for their co-ordinated pre-show advertising and e-shot; and Best Exhibitor was judged to be Business Baubles who, according to Event Director Gail Holm, "unfailingly filled in all their exhibition forms, provided pre-show information and pics and were generally very enthusiastic about taking part in the event as a whole".

The Promotional Marketing Exhibition team also chose to make a one-off award at the show, in memory of Victor Rosewell, a founding father of the promotions industry, who died in December 2006.

The Victor Rosewell Award was presented to Liz Karn, MD of Merit Promotional Clothing and a board member of the British Promotional Merchandise Association.

Those who were unable to attend the show, or would like to be reminded of its success will shortly be able to download a podcast of the acclaimed seminar programme (organised by Anne Hancock and which included panel members from Marks and Spencer, John Lewis and BSkyB), or a media cast of highlights for the show from the show website, which is being relaunched to showcase the 2007 event and give details of the 2008 event.

As always, the organisers are now liaising with the industry's governing organisations, the BPMA, ISP and Va, exhibitors and visitors to identify ways of continuing to further develop the show in line with the requirements of this innovative and vibrant industry.

The dates for the 2008 event are 15 - 17 April, Olympia, London.

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