Interview |
|||
particularly around things like payment terms and I think we ’ re trying to be over fair with everybody , because I think we ’ ve all got a duty to get shows going and make sure that those suppliers are protected .” He adds : “ We have not found it difficult to find what we need , at an appropriate cost , so far the standard of delivery has been probably better than previous shows , because everyone is so excited about getting back and they are doubling their efforts .” This year , in line with the AEO ’ s All-Secure Standard , the show used bigger aisles and theatres , with a lot more space in the floor plan than in previous years . The show featured a Gladiator-style uphill travelator ( as you may recall from the cult 90 ’ s TV show ) and an all-terrain running track and big theatres , which Seaman says is usually the draw for the event and this year hosted running stars Kelly Holmes , Roger Black |
and Iwan Thomas . By using a glass screen between the guests and the visitors , organisers were also able to interact with the stars via meet and greets .
Online presence As for Raccoon ’ s online presence over the past 18 months , Seaman says the company remained busy when physical events ground to a halt : “ We did a virtual exhibition which wasn ’ t great . It was a good way of keeping the community engaged but it ’ s probably not something that we would do again . I think the exhibitors and the visitors loved it , but we don ’ t see that as for our market which is B2C , where a lot of our customers want to see touch and feel products .” Seaman expressed his pride at his company for winning the EN Award for Best Covid Lockdown Fundraising Initiative for the Indoor Relay . The initiative , which raised almost £ 45,000 for charity , consisted of a month long zoom call where people
|
ran for an hour at a time within the confines of their home . Having been kicked off by five-time Olympian Jo Pavey , 425 individual runners took part covering a total of 3028.26 miles ( the length of John O ’ Groats to Land ’ s End more than 3.4 times ). Next up for Raccoon is The National Snow Show on 23-24 October at NEC Birmingham , followed by The National Running Show Birmingham on 22-23 January . The company is also hosting two National Run Show USA events in Boston and Chicago in January and June respectively , as well as the return of the National |
Running Show South show in May . Looking forward to the events , Seaman says : “ The confidence from exhibitors and in ticket bookings has been phenomenal . I haven ’ t seen any drop off . It feels like the world is coming back to normal and people are starting to get excited about going back to events again .”
“ It feels like the
world is coming
back to normal and
people are starting
|
to get excited about |
|||
going back to |
|||
events again .” |
|||
Mike Seaman , CEO of Raccoon Events |
|||
Autumn — 35 |