Facilities Show 2013 strikes successful note

17 May 2013

It was a show to remember, with almost all the delegates PFM Digital spoke to, reporting successful leads, particularly on the middle day. An excerpt of the full review, to be published in the May print edition of PFM.

It was difficult to find an unhappy exhibitor at this year's Facilities Show. Stand after stand said they were impressed with the quantity and quality of leads which, in many cases, exceeded last year's. And although UBM is yet to release its footfall report, the clear verdict at the end of the third day was this: the first and third days were productive, but the first was by far the busiest.

Nick Grove of Grundon Waste Management, which provides a range of services from bag collection to hazardous waste, said that the company has done the show for the past few years and get a 'good covering of leads'.

Adele Phillips, marketing officer for the water treatment division of B&V Group, said the company had received 'quite a bit of interest' considering its sphere of interest is a niche market. ''The last day was quiet,'' she said. ''The first day was good but the second was best.''

She pointed out B&V, which offers services entailing cleaning and disinfecting water, had got 'some good potential leads'.

'Out-of-the-blue leads' is how Neil Dewing of BDM Vetasi described the enquiries the company picked up. ''Those are leads from people who've come in looking for a product and found us here. I wanted to do this show - it's busy and I'm impressed.''

Adrian Vann, marketing manager of Asta Development, which deals with project management software, described the show as 'a bit mixed' on the first day but on the second day said a number of people had visited. ''At first I thought there would be many more FMs hovering around but it's really a mish-mash as there are also many waste and recycling services.''

Sweet music was in the air on the second day for Stanislas Boivin-Champeaux, director of Sound Directions, which aims with its to products to limit noise pollution in the workplace. ''It's been good, I can't complain. The overall vibe has been positive, and after the first day I knew we were justified in getting a stand. The second day was even better.''

Meanwhile, Steve Whitehead, business development manager of ByBox, was brimming with delight. ''The show's been fabulous,'' he said, ''absolutely so!'' In line with so many others, most of his satisfaction derived from the second day while the first day had been 'very good' and the last day 'average'.

Whitehead's stand, one of the more prominent at the event, showcased its signature product - the storage structure which acts as a delivery and collection point for a range of services, and which contributes to the 'total supply chain solution' which ByBox champions.

An important factor for FMs is attendance verification, and a company that specialises in this, eziTracker, was also at the show. ''Last year seemed busier although we're yet to scrutinise the leads,'' said Alistair Mann, sales account executive. ''My gut tells me the final day produced the best quality.''

One company which wasn't quite as elated as the others, but which was reluctant to blame the show, was Premier Waste Recycling, which deals with dry waste and which does much business with MITIE. ''We received several enquiries but unfortunately they were for areas we don't cover,'' said Chris Henderson, key account manager. ''In future we plan to keep it more locally focused.''

However, the overall impression of the show was it was an unmitigated success - surely music to the ears of the FM sector. Will it be the same when the show moves to London next year? UBM is crossing its fingers...