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SHOWREVIEW
A Fresh Take On Exhibitions Wins Praise Lockex 2016 Review
1,723 people attended Lockex 2016 , the pioneering new show for locksmiths and auto locksmiths , which took place on 16th to 18th September at the Ricoh arena in Coventry , the organisers have announced . The show ’ s 80 plus exhibitors received high quality leads on their stands over the three days , according to feedback .
»»“ AS EXPECTED , SATURDAY proved to be our busiest day overall with 751 visitors , giving us a total footfall of over 1,200 visitors over the weekend alone ,” said Lockex organiser , Rob Exley . “ We were pleased to see that 60 % of attendees had preregistered and we ’ ll be looking at ways to increase this for the next show in 2018 .”
Among those visiting the show were members of the MLA and subscribers to the show ’ s associated publication , The Locksmith Journal . News about the exhibition also spread far and wide through social media and locksmith forums , as well as selected architectural and specifier magazines , attracting a diverse range of high calibre visitors . The show drew exhibitors and visitors from all over the world , across Europe and even as far as the U . S . A ., China and Australia .
“ I was told by numerous exhibitors how refreshing it was to see and meet new locksmiths , not already known to them through other industry events ,” explains Rob . “ It ’ s encouraging to hear that Lockex appealed to people who don ’ t usually go to shows and this is great for our exhibitors who are looking to attract new business and make new contacts .”
Over the 3 days of the exhibition , Lockex hosted 68 workshops presented by key figures from the industry , including a key note speech by Neil Vann , Market Region Manager for ASSA ABLOY UK , who talked about changes and trends in the market , with particular emphasis around the move from mechanical to digital and how locksmiths capitalise on that .
“ The professionalism of the show , both in how it looked and how it was organised , was a recurring theme of feedback from visitors and exhibitors alike ,” Rob continues . “ Everyone loved the show ’ s distinct branding , which was slick and modern and ran throughout the arena , from the entrance of the carpark right through to the exhibitions halls . It was evident that our exhibitors had also invested time and effort into their stands and the Lockex 2016 ‘ best stand ’ competition was our way of saying thank you by giving something back , in the way of a £ 3,500 prize !”
Winner of the best stand award , as voted by visitors , was Aldrige Security on stand 51 , which made clever use of a Jaguar F-Type to catch the eye of passers-by . Aldridge Managing Director , Ainsley Hawkins , commented , “ We are absolutely thrilled to win this award , especially as it ’ s voted for by the Lockex visitors . We put a huge amount of effort and investment in to the stand build , which we were very proud of and delighted by its success . Thank you !”
Rob continued , “ Our exhibitors commented on how well looked after they felt by the organising team throughout the whole process , from booking to the evening entertainment provided , which included catering and a very nice steak and ale pie that was commented on numerous times .”
He concluded , “ As with any large scale event , particularly the first one , there are bound to be unforeseen issues that arise or certain aspects that with hindsight might have been done differently . Over the coming months we will be speaking to exhibitors and visitors to find out how we can improve on what we feel was a great start to creating an essential event in the locksmith industry calendar . The overall feeling was that Lockex 2016 gave a fresh take on the usual industry exhibition format .”
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL . CO . UK | SEP / OCT 2016