Pro Installer February 2014 - Issue 11 | Page 28

28 FEBRUARY 2014 PRO INSTALLER FIT SHOW PREVIEW FOCUS ON THE NEW FIT FACES Why 2014? That’s the question being asked by many people, particularly as we originally said that FIT would be a biennial event; the answer’s simple. Demand for a one-off annual cycle is most definitely there, especially if the quantity of exhibitor signups so far is anything to go by, which comes as no surprise when you consider the length of time it’s been since such a showcase existed. What’s most encouraged the organising team is the number of new companies to commit to FIT ’14 who either missed out on the opportunity to exhibit last time round or who, understandably, wanted to wait and see how receptive the industry would be to the show. For The FIT Show to be a longterm success it needs to offer visitors constant diversity and innovation and that’s exactly what they’ll get again next year as in addition to many returnee exhibitors, we welcome a string of new faces. ‘constant diversity and innovation’ Here’s a small crosssection of them: batimet GmbH - leading system solutions providers Henry Chical, International Sales Manager: “We will be exhibiting for the first time outside of Germany. As we will not be participating in many trade shows in 2014, The FIT Show will play an important role for our activities in the UK market, which we would like to further extend. “Every country has their own technical specifics, especially when it comes to the design of windows, so a show dedicated to the UK market with its specific needs will surely be successful.” BSI Group - the business standards company Product Marketing Executive Charlotte Broady: “There has been a lot of interest around The FIT Show since its launch last year. We heard the show was a resounding success in 2013. We feel that it’s an important event, giving us the chance to meet with clients and uncover new opportunities. “We’d like to use The FIT Show as an opportunity to speak to existing customers, and give new customer exposure to our services to share with them the full range of services that we offer. We also hope it will be an opportunity for all visitors to discuss with us any new products they feel we may be able to help them with.” Iso-Chemie GmbH manufacturers of foam products and sealing tapes General Manager Peter Thompson: “I think it is very helpful to have a show dedicated to the industry. I think most people do plan trade shows into their marketing strategy rather than attend by accident, so they are always important. But more important is to attend the right shows – like The FIT Show. “We were impressed with the general buzz generated from the 2013 show and think it is time to regenerate an industry specific show for UK Fenestration.” Jotika Software creators of business and production control solutions for flat glass processing Marketing Director Brian Gold: “We visited the show last time and met many of our customers and potential customers walking the aisles. It was a very well marketed show, which gave it a great buzz, the likes of which we haven’t seen for a long time in the industry so we were attracted by the publicity it would generate for Jotika as an exhibitor. “We hope it will help enhance awareness of our full range of software solutions, reinforcing our status as the leading software supplier to the glass and glazing market, and enable us to meet new prospects face-toface.” Tremco illbruck Limited – developers of the i3 window sealing system Market Manager Fraser Higgins: “I still think that people will come out and see things that are relevant to them, especially new industry innovations that will repay their investment in time over the course of the next two years. “There is no better tool than face to face communication and having a large proportion of your target audience in one place at the same time is a massive advantage. The audience profile, the attendance levels, and the feedback from the 2013 show demonstrated to us that we should be there and we need people who are receptive to what we have to say.” UK Industrial Tapes suppliers of adhesive tapes for industrial use Glazing Sales Advisor Scott Ilderton: “We visited this year and decided we needed to be involved. The FIT Show seems more focused on promoting the exhibitors and maintaining the buzz rather than letting the buzz ebb away like it did at Glassex and Interbuild. “We are looking to pick up leads for users of our product range as well as offer support at the show to the exhibitors that already use our products.”