FIT Show organisers say they are encouraged by preliminary figures from last week’s event, especially after it had to run back-to-back after the delayed 2021 event.
Event Director Nickie West said: ” In all honesty, we approached our forecasting for 2023 with caution as we know the industry prefers a biennial event. We were also acutely aware that the interest and appetite for last year’s show could have been bolstered, in part, by post covid euphoria. How wrong were we?
She continued: “We were blown away by the support from the industry who pulled out all of the stops to mark our tenth anniversary event and made it a celebration to remember.”
“Once again, the day before the show saw our single largest day for registrations, which surpassed even the record total in 2022. There is no denying that live events are back with a bang!
“In terms of the pattern of visitors, it was really interesting to see and hear on the floor that the opening day drew a crowd predominantly made up of c-suite, owner / direct level. The Wednesday of the show was very much made up of installers and fitters, and they attended in their droves right through to the late night. The last day of FIT Show is notoriously steadier in pace but we were pleasantly surprised by the numbers that walked through the door and their dwell time.
“We also found that the new floor layout, carpeting and widening of the gangways was well received and helped the flow of traffic. The overriding feedback from exhibitors was that their quality of leads was high, they were getting in front of the right people and that we had driven more architects than previous shows.
“We’re in the midst of our deep-dive analysis and will release a more detailed update over the coming weeks, but the early analysis has shown a slight uplift in visitors across the three days which is extremely positive. We are massively encouraged and excited by the support already shown for our next edition in 2025 from both exhibitors at this year’s show and a large number of big brands already indicating their intention to join us.”
