Visitors and Manufacturers attending the BTC Group private Promotional Merchandise Exhibition at the new Wembley Stadium  on October 21st were all agreed on one thing, this was the very best private show ever produced within the industry.

Attendees arriving at the magnificent stadium were greeted by the massive bronze statue of England hero Bobby Moore standing proudly at the entrance. From the marbled halls of the reception area on up to the beautiful Bobby Moore Room... it was first class all the way. Visitors were greeted by smiling hostesses armed with goody bags for them to fill on their way round the 63 displays all the very latest promotional merchandise. The atmosphere was almost party like with free tours of the stadium and a David Beckham lookalike performing his soccer skills and stopping for photo opportunities.
 
Visitors who numbered in excess of 330 were constantly surprised by the vast array of merchandise on display and made more than 1100 enquiries with a quoted value exceeding £2.2M only three days after the show! Manufacturers were amazed by the quality of the buyers visiting their stands and constantly commented upon how knowledgeable they were about the industry.
 
As the last visitors left at 6pm there were huge sighs of relief as tired feet were rested before the exhibition was broken down and drinks were served at the bar. It was agreed by all that the event was a stunning success with plans already being drawn up for a repeat performance next year.

Super Seminars
Talks by the Director General of the British Promotional Merchandise Association Gordon Glenister, SEDEX Marketing Manager Tom Smith and Senator Pens MD Andrew Hill attracted more than 130 attendees. Robert Hayes of Carlsberg UK said “It was a very illuminating talk, I knew Promotional Merchandise was effective but I had no idea that it was so cost effective compared to other channels of advertising”
 
The talk by Tom Smith of SEDEX was also well received. Bob Green from Tesco comments: "It is great to see how this online management platform for ethical data has grown to cover over 25,000 sites of employment in over 134 countries.  The offer of a cost effective solution for every tier of the supply chain allows for more investment in improvements for workers and corrective actions."
 
Contact us for a copy of the presentations.

Beckham Scores with BTC Group
Visitors to the show were amazed when they kept seeing David Beckham strolling through the aisles and stopping for photos and a chat. Rumour has it that the real David had to stay at home to help Victoria into her latest pair of shoes but judging by the reaction of those who met his double it was almost as good as the real thing. Did you have your photo taken with David? To see if you made it onto the red carpet visit www.snapfish.co.uk U: design@btcgroup.co.uk P: btcgroup

Manufacturers over the moon
Rod Duncan, Chairman of Promotional Merchandise Trade Association and Managing Director of Prodir Pens commented “My congratulations on a magnificent show. I can honestly say that it was the best end user client show I have ever attended… The venue was great and the visitor number achieved almost unbelievable.”
 
63 of the top UK manufacturers of Promotional Merchandise displayed the very latest gadgets, widgets and clothing at what was described by many as the greatest private show they have ever exhibited at.
 
Visitors were blown away by the vast range of promotional items on display and with the generosity of the manufactures, many of whom contributed to the visitor’s goody bags. Specialist Drinks merchandise provider Tom Finnegan who was displaying range of bar runners, drip trays and drinks merchandise could not believe his luck when buyers from Coca Cola Enterprises, Carlsberg and Bacardi all stopped to view his range within an hour of the show opening.

Facts and Figures
There were some amazing statistics following the show:

1st Promotional Merchandise Show to be held in the new Wembley Stadium
63 of the UK’s best suppliers on display
100+ seminar attendees
337 visitors on the day
1165 enquiries taken
7,000+ individual products on display
£2.2m quoted in only 3 days...still counting!