Show organisers report 75% of visitors to Safety & Health Expo 2014 were a brand new audience delivered by the move to London, plus a 10% increase in senior management attending exhibition.
Safety & Health Expo, organised by UBM Live, has celebrated its first year in London in style, with a total of 15,206 professionals attending the flagship exhibition for the health & safety industry. Taking place from 17th - 19th June, the move from the NEC Birmingham to London ExCeL was highly anticipated and came off the back of extensive market research. Show organisers have declared the event a great success with over 60% of companies already rebooked for 2015.
Heather Beach, Director - OSH Global, UBM Live, said:
"We wanted to reinvigorate the show and bring all aspects of the industry together under one roof. It was a bold move and we are incredibly proud of our first year in London and the multiple new features we added to the event. We would like to extend our thanks to all the associations for their support, particularly for the UK's inaugural health and safety week. We look forward to building on this success and developing an event that flies the flag for British health and safety internationally."
The show, which was held June 17-19, was run in association with RoSPA, IOSH, LEEA and BSIF. The event is the country's largest dedicated exhibition to the health and safety industry; with no other comparable exhibition dedicated to uniting health & safety professionals with suppliers and specialists offering the very latest in solutions, innovation and education. The show floor looked better than ever with seminar theatres packed with over 2,000 seats filled over the 3 days, Ikar's fall arrest system featured and Safety and Health Live demonstrating the flexibility of work wear and equipment in a fun way!
Plans to further internationalise the event have now been cemented by its new residence in London. This year's event had a big increase of overseas companies, making up 20% of exhibitors. Growth in international attendees was particularly strong increasing from 1% to 5%, and paves the way for future internationalisation of the exhibition, so much so that the organisers have re-named the event 'Safety & Health International'.
Another benefit of the new venue was the co-location of the show with other Protection & Management Series events covering security, fire, facilities management, energy and environment, and service management. End-users heralded this "one-stop shop" for all their needs, a true rarity for the diverse needs of business owners. In total, more than 40,000 attendees flooded through the doors over the three days.
Sarah McOnie, Managing Director, The McOnie Agency, said:
"The move to London for the Protection and Management Series reinvigorated the events with a definite increase in overseas visitors. The potential for the series to grow in 2015 is huge. We look forward to being a part of it."
The IOSH Conference 2014 had over 870 delegates attending the two-day conference benefitting from strategic global insights, influential case studies and outstanding networking opportunities. The two-day programme featured 80 internationally renowned speakers and 36 hot sessions themed around 'inspiring leadership'.
Ian Smart, Head of Communications, IOSH, said:
"This was the first year IOSH's annual conference was held in conjunction with Safety and Health Expo. Combining the two leading events in health and safety in the UK meant OSH professionals could learn, network and debate the key issues in their industry, and gain access at the same time to the foremost showcase of products and services in the market. It was an excellent exhibition this year, with plenty to see and do on the show floor, and we were delighted with the level of interest shown by people who wanted find out about IOSH and the services we have to offer. I look forward to another great Expo next year."
The event was more dynamic than it had been in many years with a plethora of events including the launch of Health and Safety Week, the RoSPA Awards and the BSIF Innovation Awards. Many of the educational theatres were standing room only including SHP Legal & Cultural Arena and Fleet 21 Driver Safety Zone.
Alan Murray, CEO, BSIF, said:
"2014 saw a step change as the UK national Safety and Health Expo was held for the first time at ExCEL in London bringing our market place to the capital for the first time in a generation. It marked a series of "firsts", high up there was the inclusion of the IOSH Conference ensuring that Expo increased its reach of key influencers. It was great to see so many BSIF members exhibiting and I was delighted to hear good contacts were made with high quality senior decision makers."
About UBM Live:
UBM Live connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets. Through premier brands such as MD&M, CPhI, IFSEC, Safety & Health Expo, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami and many others, UBM Live exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across more than 20 industry sectors.
About Protection & Management Series:
UBM Live's Protection & Management Series unites business professionals across the fields of security, fire, safety, facilities, energy and environment at IFSEC International, Safety & Health Expo, Facilities Show, FIREX International and Energy & Environment Expo. In 2015, the events will take place at the ExCeL London from 16-18 June.
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