Offsite Expo is the biggest industry event for the UK offsite construction/manufacturing sector. Yet again, it was based at the Coventry Arena, over 2 days, with the Offsite Awards held on the first Evening.
The Event
It’s organised by Radar, who’s team seem to go from strength to strength. Very well organised, very well marketed. There seemed to be fewer exhibitors in a more spacious layout than previous years, affording plenty of spaces to sit and chat. There were a few large stands and modules / pods / LSF structures – but not many. There weren’t so many manufacturers showing off their solutions. The Trade Associations were well represented with STA, MPBA, LSFA, MMC Ireland etc. It is still very focused on the industry though, with very relevant exhibitors.
The Speakers
Although I didn’t personally catch any, they looked fairly well attended in the main, and the list of speakers was extensive, and very high quality. Offsite Alliance were near our stand and had an innovative “In the round” set up which also seemed to work well.
The Attendance
In a word – low. The event never really looked busy, and at times it was largely exhibitors talking to exhibitors. There’s a benefit in that, for many. Ourselves included, though footfall was lower than I’ve seen at this event in the past. The general vibe was that most businesses are getting by, or struggling, with a few doing better than average. The Irish market seems buoyant for example, and I heard another making plenty of sales in the USA. UK Seems suppressed, for all the reasons we already know – and I suspect people were being told to stay in the office and crack on to get some work done.
That said, the quality of visitors was very good. You don’t get tyre kickers and merch grabbers here. I saw one student group (which should be encouraged) but they didn’t overwhelm.
The Awards
The awards were very well attended – with a very large room and pretty full (1st half at least!). Free to attend, with complimentary drinks and hot snacks that carried on for quite a good while (loved the sliders!). Mark Durden-Smith, is pretty much the “Resident Host” now, for these awards and did a great job as always. Detailed info, not too cutting humour, and kept everyone engaged.
The awards themselves were very good and many entries were superb. We were delighted to have so many ARV Solutions clients amongst the finalists, and to meet several more we weren’t close to, as yet. The least said about “Heads and Tails” the better!
The outcomes
We picked up some strong leads for live vacancies – so it’ll pay for itself. The value of the networking, and learning is enormous on top of that. Building new relationships, reinforcing relationships, reminding people we are here, waving the ARV Flag, are all essential for any business stating that they are specialists in this market.
Speaking to a wide range of fellow exhibitors, all said the event was useful, and had brought in good leads that would give them the return on investment they need. This reinforces the quality of attendees, despite lower numbers.
So overall – a somewhat qualified success – again! It’s a big investment to exhibit, and its an investment in people’s valuable time to attend, of course. Next year, will hopefully see a more buoyant market, with people wanting to attend to share their successes, and seek out new products and services in greater numbers. It’s the best event for offsite, so hopefully continues to get the support of the wider industry.
