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THREE DAYS IN DOCKLANDS
Listed under: Show News
Published: Friday, August 28, 2009
Planning a trade show and selling it to potential exhibitors in the middle of one of the most severe economic crises the world has ever known is, to put it mildly, an unenviable task.
Rewind a couple of months and, for CEDIA, it must have been little short of a nightmare. The UK Expo, already shaping up as a slimmed down affair, suffered a huge blow when the news broke that industry giants Crestron had pulled out. Immediately, the rumour mill sprung into action. Could the event possibly survive the absence of its biggest name? Traditionally, Crestron had pulled out all the stops – both in terms of its invariably huge, product-laden stand and its Tuesday night party: complimentary food, drink and entertainment always ended the first day with a bang and provided an early opportunity for the networking that keeps the industry ticking over. Without this company, not only would there be a huge space to fill on the exhibition floor, but there was a very real chance that other firms would follow, figuring that the event had entered a terminal decline. For a while, the talk was that the Expo might not even take place…
Thankfully, CEDIA ably negotiated this worst case scenario, reapportioning floor space and reassuring any exhibitors that might have needed it, and so the day was saved. Such goings on did nothing to foster a sense of optimism, of course, and the majority of those that made the trip up to ExCeL on the 22nd did so with a fair amount of trepidation – ourselves included.
Prior to opening, the general consensus seemed to be that those exhibiting were in for a quiet show (the much-discussed X-Factor auditions not withstanding!). The noticeably smaller venue did nothing to raise expectations, and many early conversations revolved around whether we’d all be back next year. Optimism, as it has been in a broader economic sense for a year or so now, was in short supply.
sweet success
And yet, as I write this, a few weeks after what was billed as potentially the last UK Expo ever, the phrase chosen – most would agree, accurately – by CEDIA to describe the event is “Overwhelmingly successful”. So what happened?
Here’s a good summary, courtesy of CEDIA Chairman, Robert Hallam: “In challenging circumstances, the backing we have received from visitors and exhibitors for this year’s CEDIA UK Expo has been, quite simply, incredible,” he said at the event’s conclusion. “The CEDIA Board, office staff and the show’s exhibitors have worked tirelessly to make the event as compelling, relevant and valuable as possible for the industry. And, we are delighted that visitors have responded so positively, turning out in force to see the raft of new products and technologies that are here, taking part in CEDIA training and showing their backing for the UK custom installation industry. Those exhibitors that were here have been justly rewarded with an overwhelmingly successful CEDIA Expo, which, in more than a handful of cases, has been their best ever.”
From last ever Expo to “best ever” Expo? It’s fair to say that things couldn’t have gone much better. Against the backdrop of global recession, and despite exhibitor numbers being down on previous years, more than 150 CI brands were represented at the show, with a number of new product launches taking place to catch the eye. Exhibitors benefited from steady, high-quality visitor traffic on the Tuesday and Thursday, and a spectacular attendance on the middle day of the event, which ranks as one of the busiest I can recall in the five CEDIA Expo’s I’ve visited.
From our own perspective, the SVI stand did a roaring trade throughout the three days, with visitors snapping up subscriptions to SVI and our sister publication, SmartLife International, like hot cakes (unusually, Thursday was just as hectic as the two days that preceded it, largely thanks to the first ever SVI Trade Awards presentation).
The bottom line: attendance for this year’s CEDIA Expo totalled some 5082 – down on last year, yes, but largely confounding the doom mongers and rewarding all those who kept the faith. Electronic systems designers, installers and trade suppliers represented the vast majority of the overall audience, with 40% of visitors taking their first ever trip to CEDIA UK Expo, but the event even received ‘royal assent’, as CEDIA Chair, Robert Hallam conducted a Sheikh from the Qatari Royal Family on a tour of the show on the opening day!
lots to see and do
As is always the case at a CEDIA Expo, there were some great new products on show (see our 'Product Highlights' box for some of the highlights), and Invision UK and PMC deserve a special mention for attracting the attention of David Pegler, ExCeL’s Managing Director, to win ‘Best Stand at Expo’ and ‘Best Shell Scheme Stand’, respectively in the annual Expo Awards.
But it wasn’t just new products and companies that were drawing the attention: the Show Floor Seminar Theatre proved as popular as ever, and hosted a keynote address from Richard Farleigh of BBC show Dragon’s Den, whilst ‘Designing Interiors with Technology' – a dedicated CEDIA conference for design professionals – was attended by over 110 architects and interior designers, and attracted rave reviews. Said delegate Simon Atkins from Interiors etc, “The conference was excellent. I found it very useful, particularly as this is quite a new area for us and we need to get our knowledge up to scratch for clients coming through who want the latest integrated technology. Having the guided tour around the show was also very helpful, as our guide understood our needs as interior designers and was able to relate the products directly to our requirements. Overall, [it was] a really good day.”
Away from the exhibition hall, the CEDIA party was conspicuous by its absence – in its place, an industry drinks reception, held in the Fox@ ExCeL, and attended by over 300 people – whilst in the absence of a Creston-sponsored shindig, Tuesday evening was spent in one of several hotel bars or back at ExCeL for the Expo’s first 5-A-Side Charity Football Cup.
What does 2010 hold for the CEDIA Expo? Well, both during and after the event, CEDIA engaged in a wide-ranging review, consulting with members and exhibitors as part of an effort to move Expo forwards in the right direction. Findings included the following: 68% of present and past exhibitors wanted the Expo to be a single event in one location; 75% of those exhibitors wanted the event to remain at ExCeL London; and 63% of Expo visitors chose London as their preferred location, with 84% of those wanting it to remain at ExCeL.
As a result, ExCeL has been confirmed as the venue for next year's show (15th–17th June exhibition; 14th–17th June training). Despite the event remaining in London, plans are afoot to rejuvenate the show, with a number of new initiatives set to be announced over the next couple of months – CEDIA is even exploring the possibility of re-branding the event to broaden its appeal to custom installation and design professional audiences. Watch this space for further details...
THE VERDICT
Stuart Tickle, AWE Europe
“CEDIA Expo 2009 not only met, it exceeded my expectations. Everyone at CEDIA worked tirelessly to make this a successful show under the hardest of economic conditions and I was confident of a credible show. However, with numerous major exhibitors not being present and the inevitable rumour mongers it felt an uphill struggle to maintain momentum at times. I can say this having had one of our best shows ever and having received a huge number of positive visitor and exhibitor comments. Wednesday must have been one of the best days ever at a CEDIA Expo in terms of the feeling around the show. The designer conference walking the floor and Richard Farleigh's key note speech all proved to be a big success.”
Jonathan Pengilley, Habitech
“Overall, a really good show, and much better than all the negative hype prior to the event would have led you to believe. Being able to talk with interior designers on the stand was excellent, and has already generated significant new business enquiries for us.”
Peter Alloway, Invision UK
“A great show for Invision, with a fantastic middle day. We came here to do business which has happened this year compared to previous years where you have to follow up after the event. Without having the bigger players, people have spent more time on our stand which is terrific.”
Paul Cummin, Artcoustic
“The best show we have ever done! The smaller size was good. People are more focussed on their businesses and more interested in what the products here can do for them. We were able to spend a lot of time talking to good quality people. We’ve generated some very, very good leads, re-affirming relationships with existing customers and meeting new ones.”
Paul Wilmshurst, Dynalite
“A very good show. Wednesday was stonking! The best day we’ve ever had on a trade show stand with back-to-back customers.”
Larry Sadoo, JVC
“We’ve enjoyed a very good CEDIA Expo. It was great to meet key dealers face-to-face and maintain great relationships. The interior design conference was also excellent.”
Dave Robinson , Sensible Heat
“We’re very pleased with the footfall and the high-quality of visitors. Overall, we’re delighted with CEDIA Expo 2009.”
Babs Moore, Amina
“To be perfectly honest, this year’s CEDIA Expo has proved a lot better than expected. We were busy throughout and have generated some good leads. It was great to see interior designers at the show in such numbers.”
Tom Barnett, Kaleidescape
“There were more people on the Kaleidescape Installation training course than there were seats – standing room only! We ran seven courses over the last few days and they all had between 15–36 attendees! Through this experience, we have met a lot of new people that we would not normally capture.”
Anthony Haase, Spectral
“We are very pleasantly surprised – a good volume and an equally good quality of visitors. Yes, it was a smaller show this year, but this gave us more time with visitors, and we have signed up a lot of new installers.”
George Gavutis, NuVo Technologies
“A very good show with great traffic. We were very proud to be a part of the Habitech team here.”
Mike Beatty, Pulse Marketing
“A really great show. The afternoon on the first day was good, but the second day was brilliant. Overall, we are very happy. Keep the designers coming!”
Ian Jones, Source / Genelec
“CEDIA Expo 2009 proved a great platform to launch Source as the new distribution partner for Genelec into the UK custom installation market. Our Stand with its dedicated Genelec Audio Suite rocked all day on the Wednesday. Fantastic!”
Thankfully, CEDIA ably negotiated this worst case scenario, reapportioning floor space and reassuring any exhibitors that might have needed it, and so the day was saved. Such goings on did nothing to foster a sense of optimism, of course, and the majority of those that made the trip up to ExCeL on the 22nd did so with a fair amount of trepidation – ourselves included.
Prior to opening, the general consensus seemed to be that those exhibiting were in for a quiet show (the much-discussed X-Factor auditions not withstanding!). The noticeably smaller venue did nothing to raise expectations, and many early conversations revolved around whether we’d all be back next year. Optimism, as it has been in a broader economic sense for a year or so now, was in short supply.
sweet success
And yet, as I write this, a few weeks after what was billed as potentially the last UK Expo ever, the phrase chosen – most would agree, accurately – by CEDIA to describe the event is “Overwhelmingly successful”. So what happened?
Here’s a good summary, courtesy of CEDIA Chairman, Robert Hallam: “In challenging circumstances, the backing we have received from visitors and exhibitors for this year’s CEDIA UK Expo has been, quite simply, incredible,” he said at the event’s conclusion. “The CEDIA Board, office staff and the show’s exhibitors have worked tirelessly to make the event as compelling, relevant and valuable as possible for the industry. And, we are delighted that visitors have responded so positively, turning out in force to see the raft of new products and technologies that are here, taking part in CEDIA training and showing their backing for the UK custom installation industry. Those exhibitors that were here have been justly rewarded with an overwhelmingly successful CEDIA Expo, which, in more than a handful of cases, has been their best ever.”
From last ever Expo to “best ever” Expo? It’s fair to say that things couldn’t have gone much better. Against the backdrop of global recession, and despite exhibitor numbers being down on previous years, more than 150 CI brands were represented at the show, with a number of new product launches taking place to catch the eye. Exhibitors benefited from steady, high-quality visitor traffic on the Tuesday and Thursday, and a spectacular attendance on the middle day of the event, which ranks as one of the busiest I can recall in the five CEDIA Expo’s I’ve visited.
From our own perspective, the SVI stand did a roaring trade throughout the three days, with visitors snapping up subscriptions to SVI and our sister publication, SmartLife International, like hot cakes (unusually, Thursday was just as hectic as the two days that preceded it, largely thanks to the first ever SVI Trade Awards presentation).
The bottom line: attendance for this year’s CEDIA Expo totalled some 5082 – down on last year, yes, but largely confounding the doom mongers and rewarding all those who kept the faith. Electronic systems designers, installers and trade suppliers represented the vast majority of the overall audience, with 40% of visitors taking their first ever trip to CEDIA UK Expo, but the event even received ‘royal assent’, as CEDIA Chair, Robert Hallam conducted a Sheikh from the Qatari Royal Family on a tour of the show on the opening day!
lots to see and do
As is always the case at a CEDIA Expo, there were some great new products on show (see our 'Product Highlights' box for some of the highlights), and Invision UK and PMC deserve a special mention for attracting the attention of David Pegler, ExCeL’s Managing Director, to win ‘Best Stand at Expo’ and ‘Best Shell Scheme Stand’, respectively in the annual Expo Awards.
But it wasn’t just new products and companies that were drawing the attention: the Show Floor Seminar Theatre proved as popular as ever, and hosted a keynote address from Richard Farleigh of BBC show Dragon’s Den, whilst ‘Designing Interiors with Technology' – a dedicated CEDIA conference for design professionals – was attended by over 110 architects and interior designers, and attracted rave reviews. Said delegate Simon Atkins from Interiors etc, “The conference was excellent. I found it very useful, particularly as this is quite a new area for us and we need to get our knowledge up to scratch for clients coming through who want the latest integrated technology. Having the guided tour around the show was also very helpful, as our guide understood our needs as interior designers and was able to relate the products directly to our requirements. Overall, [it was] a really good day.”
Away from the exhibition hall, the CEDIA party was conspicuous by its absence – in its place, an industry drinks reception, held in the Fox@ ExCeL, and attended by over 300 people – whilst in the absence of a Creston-sponsored shindig, Tuesday evening was spent in one of several hotel bars or back at ExCeL for the Expo’s first 5-A-Side Charity Football Cup.
What does 2010 hold for the CEDIA Expo? Well, both during and after the event, CEDIA engaged in a wide-ranging review, consulting with members and exhibitors as part of an effort to move Expo forwards in the right direction. Findings included the following: 68% of present and past exhibitors wanted the Expo to be a single event in one location; 75% of those exhibitors wanted the event to remain at ExCeL London; and 63% of Expo visitors chose London as their preferred location, with 84% of those wanting it to remain at ExCeL.
As a result, ExCeL has been confirmed as the venue for next year's show (15th–17th June exhibition; 14th–17th June training). Despite the event remaining in London, plans are afoot to rejuvenate the show, with a number of new initiatives set to be announced over the next couple of months – CEDIA is even exploring the possibility of re-branding the event to broaden its appeal to custom installation and design professional audiences. Watch this space for further details...
THE VERDICT
Stuart Tickle, AWE Europe
“CEDIA Expo 2009 not only met, it exceeded my expectations. Everyone at CEDIA worked tirelessly to make this a successful show under the hardest of economic conditions and I was confident of a credible show. However, with numerous major exhibitors not being present and the inevitable rumour mongers it felt an uphill struggle to maintain momentum at times. I can say this having had one of our best shows ever and having received a huge number of positive visitor and exhibitor comments. Wednesday must have been one of the best days ever at a CEDIA Expo in terms of the feeling around the show. The designer conference walking the floor and Richard Farleigh's key note speech all proved to be a big success.”
Jonathan Pengilley, Habitech
“Overall, a really good show, and much better than all the negative hype prior to the event would have led you to believe. Being able to talk with interior designers on the stand was excellent, and has already generated significant new business enquiries for us.”
Peter Alloway, Invision UK
“A great show for Invision, with a fantastic middle day. We came here to do business which has happened this year compared to previous years where you have to follow up after the event. Without having the bigger players, people have spent more time on our stand which is terrific.”
Paul Cummin, Artcoustic
“The best show we have ever done! The smaller size was good. People are more focussed on their businesses and more interested in what the products here can do for them. We were able to spend a lot of time talking to good quality people. We’ve generated some very, very good leads, re-affirming relationships with existing customers and meeting new ones.”
Paul Wilmshurst, Dynalite
“A very good show. Wednesday was stonking! The best day we’ve ever had on a trade show stand with back-to-back customers.”
Larry Sadoo, JVC
“We’ve enjoyed a very good CEDIA Expo. It was great to meet key dealers face-to-face and maintain great relationships. The interior design conference was also excellent.”
Dave Robinson , Sensible Heat
“We’re very pleased with the footfall and the high-quality of visitors. Overall, we’re delighted with CEDIA Expo 2009.”
Babs Moore, Amina
“To be perfectly honest, this year’s CEDIA Expo has proved a lot better than expected. We were busy throughout and have generated some good leads. It was great to see interior designers at the show in such numbers.”
Tom Barnett, Kaleidescape
“There were more people on the Kaleidescape Installation training course than there were seats – standing room only! We ran seven courses over the last few days and they all had between 15–36 attendees! Through this experience, we have met a lot of new people that we would not normally capture.”
Anthony Haase, Spectral
“We are very pleasantly surprised – a good volume and an equally good quality of visitors. Yes, it was a smaller show this year, but this gave us more time with visitors, and we have signed up a lot of new installers.”
George Gavutis, NuVo Technologies
“A very good show with great traffic. We were very proud to be a part of the Habitech team here.”
Mike Beatty, Pulse Marketing
“A really great show. The afternoon on the first day was good, but the second day was brilliant. Overall, we are very happy. Keep the designers coming!”
Ian Jones, Source / Genelec
“CEDIA Expo 2009 proved a great platform to launch Source as the new distribution partner for Genelec into the UK custom installation market. Our Stand with its dedicated Genelec Audio Suite rocked all day on the Wednesday. Fantastic!”
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