Once again this year's PestEx, held 25-26 March in London smashed all previous records, and proved to be a huge draw. The perfect combination of exhibitors and seminars brought in a whopping 17% more people over the two days compared to 2013. PestEx 2015 saw 2242 people (including exhibitors) attend, who were attracted by the many innovative products on display, plus the range and depth of 25 technical and business seminars on offer.
Organised by the British Pest Control Association, PestEx extended the strong international flavour of previous events, with 23% of the visitors being from outside the UK. But quality was not sacrificed for the sake of quantity; the majority of visitors were from roles where they have the final decision over or major influence on the purchase of pest control products and services. BPCA Chief Executive Simon Forrester commented; "it is clear the majority of our exhibitors now sell products across international boundaries, and PestEx provides them with a perfect platform to reach pest management professionals from across the globe."
BPCA President Martin Harvey, who opened the event, commented; "I have been approached by dozens of people across the two days who've congratulated BPCA on another stand-out event. I think the quality and range of exhibitors and seminars has been the two greatest draws, closely followed by the opportunities to network with your peers from across the world. My compliments to the BPCA and Dewberry teams for their work in delivering one of the world's premier pest control events."
The first day of PestEx (Wednesday 25 March) smashed all records, with a 19% increase in visitors over the 2013 event. The Thursday, though traditionally quieter, is a chance (as many of our exhibitors put it) to have ‘more in-depth conversations with customers'. This was backed up by 261 delegates who came for both days of the show, as the 279m2 increase in stand space and range of back-to-back Seminars and Technical sessions made seeing everything in a single day a real planning challenge.
Visitors commented on the range of interesting new technologies, products and innovations that are coming through. On the Seminar and Technical Programme, PestEx provided a wide range of presentations on business, technical and practical topics, some of the highlights included:
Pest Control from the Client Perspective, a panel discussion which is included speakers from the likes of M&S, Tesco and Nestle. Rodent Monitoring in the food industry; an electronic future by Dr John Simmons of Acheta Consulting Ltd. Invasive Pests: Pest Control's frontline by Clive Boase of the Pest Management Consultancy, and The UK SGAR Stewardship Regime and the role of CRRU presented by Dr Alan Buckle and supported by a variety of CRRU members.
It wasn't just the exhibitors that were innovating, though, PestEx used ‘silent seminars' where delegates wore headphones and the speakers were miked up in order to keep unnecessary noise to a minimum. BPCA Events Officer Lauren Carter explains; "by using this headphone system we not only gave every person in the seminars the opportunity to hear our speakers clearly, but it also allowed us to record the sessions, copies of which will be on the BPCA website later in April."
The last word must go to BPCA Chief Executive Simon Forrester, who said "we were really pleased to see the volume and quality of people attending the show. I've been organising trade exhibitions for over 20 years, and this is the best response I've ever had, only surpassing the 2013 event. I want to express my personal thanks to the visitors and exhibitors who travelled so far to make the event such a clear success."
PestEx 2017 dates has been set for 22 and 23 March 2017 at ExCel in London again. However, if you can't wait until then, you could join us at the sister show of PestEx, PPC Live which will take place on 16 March 2016 at the East of England Showground near Peterborough.
www.bpca.org.uk/pestex