industry SMMEX
Merchandising- the best signing you will ever make?
Wembley Stadium gave host to the 2012 Sports Merchandise and Marketing Exhibition. Record attendance figures may well indicate the importance of merchandise to the retail trade this year.
M
arch 5 saw SMMEX give buyers and
specifiers from sporting clubs and associations across Europe, the chance to meet up with suppliers and the opportunity to preview new product ranges and services in one of sports most iconic amphitheatres. With a recorded 18%
more exhibitors than ever before, over 20 countries exhibiting and 22 countries visiting, Sales Director Mike Corbett was undoubtedly delighted with the success of SMMEX. “We were incredibly
happy with SMMEX this year, attendance figures were up 12% from 2011. The atmosphere of the event was vibrant and we enjoyed the company from clubs and brands from around the World, some as far as Brazil, who specially came to see the fantastic products on display.” This year SMMEX had decided to focus on the previously
untapped potential of merchandising to the retail trade and this appeared to pay dividends for 2012 and an area the exhibition will be keen to exploit for future events. “We also had a much
stronger focus on the retail market, with payment systems, epos units and point of display specialists exhibiting,” said Corbett. “The growth of SMMEX will encompass more and more areas of the industry, as we look to make this the must attend event of the year.” For those exhibiting,
the overall feedback from the show appeared to be a constant flow of visitors intent on buying. For the merchandising industry and the retail sector in general, this can only be welcome news in comparison to the last couple of years. Stephen Muller from Bevball for instance stated: “We made quality contacts, its not about the quantity, we found we had the appropriate people to talk to.”
Mary Portas
Similarly Buffy Swimmerton from My Bunjee Products found SMMEX to have led to “great footfalls, with good amounts of leads,” and if asked if they would be returning to the event, Paul Gibson from Fanframes replied, “Absolutely, you are not going to meet people you want to meet unless you get to the event.” Aside from the free
Pukka Pie for every visitor, the feedback from visitors attending the exhibition
was the fantastic opportunity to network and speak to people face to face. First time attendee Pascal Adelar from Fanart emphasised the need to network: “We want to make relationships. We also want to spend money to make money.” With a host of
showpiece events in 2012 including the Olympics, Euro 2012 and the Queens Jubilee, merchandise will obviously be highly sort after. But does that mean the success of this
happy with SMMEX this year, attendance figures were up 12% from 2011. The atmosphere of the event was vibrant and we enjoyed the company from clubs and brands from around the World, some as far as Brazil
We were incredibly 10 |
SGB-SPORTS.COM
years’ event is merely an anomaly? Mike Corbett disagrees insisting merchandising could be the key to economic recovery with many other showpiece events hitting Blighty’s shores in the future. “We are already looking ahead with the Rugby League World Cup and the Rugby Union World Cup set to take place in England across the course of the next 3 years.”
SMMEX 2013 will be back at Wembley Stadium on Monday 4 March 2013.
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