UK Concrete Show
The Sell out UK Conctrete Show at the Ricoh Arena
Attendee numbers to the sell-out UK Concrete Show at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry were up by over 55%
In 2011, around 2,200 people attended the industry’s leading trade show which was held for the first time at the award-winning venue in the Midlands.
Those figures were smashed this year as more than 3,500 people came through the doors from all corners of the globe including Australia, Canada, America, Germany, Finland, Holland, Austria and the UK.
The two-day show, which also increased by over 50% in size to 6,100 sqm, attracted over 170 exhibitors centred on all aspects of the concrete industry inside the Jaguar Exhibition Hall which was also the location for a virtual demonstration zone.
Radio presenter Martin Kelner, who is a regular guest on Fighting Talk on BBC Radio 5 Live, hosted the UK Concrete Show’s Awards at the end of the first day.
Show Director Steven Callaghan said the show would definitely be returning to the Ricoh Arena for a third successive year.
He said: “We had exhibitors from all across the concrete industry from specialist admixture and reinforcement manufacturers through to producers of ready mixed and precast concrete and specialist concrete construction companies. They were all delighted with the high-quality visitor profile that included engineers, both public and private utilities and large construction companies all gathered under one roof.
“As well as having stands and 40 seminars which were well attended, we installed a giant 15sqm LED screen to show machines in action that are too large to bring here so we had a great mix of activities to keep visitors entertained.
“We will definitely come back next year because the venue is very accessible for visitors since it is near the M6 and as an organiser, it is convenient since there is the hotel, a couple of places to eat and the casino so you don’t need to leave the site.
“This was the second year of the show which meant it was much easier to promote through word of mouth as well as the usual promotional methods but in these tough economic times we were really please to have attracted nearly 4,000 visitors.
“We also ran the UK Roads Repair and Maintenance Show in Hall 3 for the first time which was much smaller and specifically targeted towards local authorities and highways and maintenance contractors and that is something we will build on in 2013.”
Paul Dowling, Event Manager at the Ricoh Arena, said this had been hailed as Europe’s best specialist concrete show.
“This is a one-stop show for everybody involved in the industry and it is a great way of bringing everybody together,” he said.
“The Ricoh was buzzing throughout the two days of the event and we had large concrete mixers parked outside the venue while the hall was crammed with exhibitors large and small.
“It was a very well run event and we are delighted to have played our part in attracting such high numbers.”
PICTURE CAPTION: Show Director Steven Callaghan with Liz Cooper from the Ricoh Arena
