Last year saw 36 new exhibitions take place at EC&O Venues, 15 of which were consumer shows, a further 20 were trade exhibitions, and a grand total of 27 of these shows were launch shows at the "venues":www.venues.org.uk.
One of the main trade show success stories of 2007 was the return of the London Book Fair to Earls Court in April. Not only did the show look impressive, but the feedback from the organisers and the exhibitors was extremely positive.
Other trade shows that were equally successful were The Exhibiting Show (also returning to the venue from ExCeL) and International Jewellery London, which achieved its best visitor attendance on record. Chris Hartley, Event Director, Reed Exhibitions says: “As the curtains closed on the final day the numbers were up and we managed to achieve our best attendance to date with 9,240 visitors pre-audit, as opposed to 9,057 the previous year.”
The consumer sector also had a great year. The Cycle Show moved from the East London, while other consumer shows performing particularly well include the Metro Ski and Snowboard Show at Olympia, which was up 10% (pre-audit), and Clarion’s Spirit of Christmas and Baby Show saw an increase of 4% and 14% respectively.
Many shows launched at EC&O Venues in 2007, including The Retirement Show, The Great Big Home Furniture Show, and Who Do You Think You Are – all of which were highly successful and will all be welcomed back to EC&O Venues in 2008. However, one of the biggest consumer launches at EC&O Venues was the Whyte and Mackay Earls Court Boat Show. It ran for nine days, was full of innovative features and exhibits for all the family and used Earls Court’s huge pool to house 30 impressive yachts.
Nigel Nathan, managing director, EC&O Venues, said: “It has been another outstanding year; we have hosted 36 new shows, of which 27 were launch shows, including the UK’s biggest consumer show launch the Whyte and Mackay Earls Court Boat Show. Of the nine shows relocated from other venues, the highlight was the triumphant return of the London Book Fair. We have consistently received over 85% customer satisfaction levels throughout the year, which is a record performance from our customer services teams.
“There are already many major launches in 2008, such as Boutique London, A Place in the Sun and the Custom Bike Show and we look forward to delivering even better satisfaction levels for our customers next year.”
