NEWS
The Biggest One yet… with promise of more to come!
With over 21,000 anglers and exhibitor space at capacity, this year’s The Big One at Farnborough was a huge success. We speak to show organiser Vince Davies to find out more…
T&G: This year’s show was massive! How do you go about creating such an event?
VINCE DAVIES: It was a bit big wasn’t it?! We’ve been running this show for 26 years now and it’s steadily grown into the event you see today.
T&G: 26 years? Wow…
VINCE DAVIES: Yes, believe it or not we started this show off in the back room of a pub, next door to Davies Angling. They were the days! It’s grown a lot since then!
T&G: We understand that this was another sell out show for you?
VINCE DAVIES: Yes it was. It was actually sold out months before but as usual with any type of event, we had the odd last minute cancellation. We had a waiting list though, so as soon as anyone cancelled we were able to fill it straight away.
T&G: So what you are saying then is that you need a bigger venue?
VINCE DAVIES: Well we do, and luckily the exhibition center at Farnborough has provided one for us! This year we had a massive 19,000sqm of space to play with. Next year, in the new purpose built exhibition venue, we’ll have well over 20,000sqm at our disposal, and more if we need it.
10 | Tackle & Guns | June 2017
T&G: One thing that struck us at this year’s event was the professionalism of the exhibitors. The stands looked superb. Is this down to your influence?
VINCE DAVIES: I’m not sure it’s down to me! Over the years the show has moved from what was for want of another phrase, a big car boot sale – to what we see today, which I like to think of as a real showcase for angling. The trade has moved with the times and it’s much smarter. Retail has followed suit.
T&G: Ah, you mentioned retail, which brings us on to the next question; do you encounter resistance from the local trade?
VINCE DAVIES: We used to in the early days. It took a few years to shake off that car boot sale image but now it’s totally overcome. Firstly, there is nothing to stop
This year we had a massive 19,000sqm of space to play with. Next year, in the new purpose built exhibition venue, we’ll have well over 20,000sqm
the local retailers taking a stand at the show – and many do. But secondly and more importantly a lot of the manufacturers now select who they deal with at the show, which stops all the dealers undercutting each other. Although there is a lot of business done at the show, many just come to take a look at what’s new and then buy elsewhere later, possibly at their local shop. It’s worth remembering that we have hundreds of brands represented at the show, and no shop in the land carries that many products, so it’s a great chance for anglers to visit the Big One and see whole of market – all under one roof.
T&G: What commitments have you made for the future shows?
VINCE DAVIES: We had 21,000 through the doors this year, but there is still growth potential. We are looking at increasing our profile next year to encompass a wider spectrum, with more sea, game, boat and kayak exhibitors, which will pull more people into the show. We’ve signed a three-year deal with the venue securing the dates until 2021.
T&G: The new venue looks impressive. Does this mean prices will increase?
VINCE DAVIES: We know that pricing is a sensitive issue for exhibitors and
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