NEWS EXTRA YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN
NMBS held an event for exhibitors with advice for how to get the most out of its Exhibition, the industry’s merchant-dedicated showcase.
NMBS, THE BUYING group for independent merchants, held a special event for suppliers at the Coventry Building Society Arena at the end of last month. The Arena is the venue for the organisations’ annual trade exhibition, in April, and the Exhibitor Event was designed to help exhibitors make the most of the show. The NMBS Exhibition will take place on 10-11 April 2025 at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
The Exhibitor Event featured presentations from NMBS, from previous exhibitors, and a Q&A with NMBS members, asking them what they want to see from suppliers at the show. “The key question is, how do we raise the bar on what is already the most successful event in this particular industry’s calendar,” asked conference moderator and host Kevin Parr. “Companies spend a lot of money to attend the exhibition. We want to help them to make the most of that spend. See if we can find ways of doing a better job, and creating better opportunities to work to improve the business partnerships,” he said.
Chris Hayward, chief executive officer at NMBS, said: “Our merchant members earned almost £2.4 million in rebates from purchases made during the 2024 exhibition alone. The NMBS Exhibition is a unique opportunity for independent merchants and suppliers to come together to find deals, offers and networking opportunities.”
NMBS commercial director Andy
Hextall said: “Today’s event is focused on supporting you, our exhibitors, so that you can get the most out of the exhibition. We all want to continue to learn and make this event even better. The aim is to give you the right tools and opportunities to help you achieve success in April this year.” He asked the exhibitor delegates to think about a few questions: “What does success look like to you? Do you set targets before you go to the show? Do you define what success looks like before you go to the event? Is it getting 10 new customers? Is it to drive sales volume within the independent sector through 2025, by 4, 5 or 6% percent? Is it to create new leads? If so, how many? Is it to meet with 20 key customers during the course of the event? Or is it the sales of new products into existing customers?” He added that the 2024 exhibition saw over 550 NMBS members attend over the two days, bringing with them 1000
key decision makers. “That means people who can decide whether they want to place an order, or an additional order. Who can decide whether they want to increase the value of that order, or even start to trade with a new supplier.”
Hextall pointed out that the NMBS members who attend the exhibition have taken time out to leave their businesses. “They’re a captive audience. They’re engaged. They want to speak to you. So there’s a huge opportunity for you to engage with those people,” he said.
First Timers in 2024: Martin Mallon of CT1 said that the company attended its first NMBS Exhibition last year. “There were three things that really stood out for us. The first was the quality of the event. The second was the quality of the attendees and the third thing was the number of opportunities to improve sales, to improve relationshops, and generate much more business going forward.” Mallon said that the NMBS Exhibiton App is an incredibly useful tool for allowing suppliers to make the most of their attenadance.
“It is the most user friendly, beneficial source of information that you can use before, during and especially after the event.” BMJ
8 SIMON
HAZLEDINE: 10 TAKEAWAYS
Author and business speaker Simon Hazledine left delegates with some things to think about in advance of the NMBS Exhibition.
1. Selling makes the world go round: until someone sells something nothing happens. 2. Skillsets are important. Be brilliant at the basics. If you build on weak foundations, things will fall down 3. This exhibition is the opportunity to interact with different types: suspects, prospects, clients and key clients 4. Telling isn’t selling. Selling involves finding out what the customer needs, then showing them how you can help. 5. Research the attendees: know who is going to be there and plan how to approach them 6. Set clear goals: New leads – how many? More revenue – how much? New customers – how many? 7. Promote your presence: tell people you will be there 8. Don’t sit on the laptop or your phone when on the stand. Look engaging, approachable. Connect and be proactive. 9. Have a defined lead management process, that all your team understands. 10. Follow up quickly and repeatedly. 80% of sales require five or more follow-ups before they succeed.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net February 2025
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