Tony Brown, commercial director of RCI, explains what’s new for this year’s RCI Show and how the exhibiting at the event can provide a great benefit to your business.
What’s changed about the RCI Show?
The RCI Show’s new one-day format provides visitors with an opportunity to plan and come together all under one roof for one full day rather than it be diluted by two or three. This enhances the networking opportunity which is one of the main points of visiting a trade show.
But it will still give exhibitors the opportunity to meet new prospective and existing clients in half the time out the office.
How is the RCI Show staying up to date with industry trends?
Last year we launched the Façade Hub, which had its own dedicated seminar theatre, exhibitor zone and demo area. This new feature shone a light on all the fantastic products and services this sector has to offer.
This will return in 2024 and will further promote new products, provide updates on legislation and cover all the important issues surrounding the industry.
Furthermore, with solar and solid conservatory roof installations on the rise, we will be putting more focus on manufacturers in these areas.
To help us with this, we have recruited Sarah Knight as BDM and Jessica Nobbs, who will both work with this sector to ensure this year’s event gives this sector the platform it deserves.
What are the benefits of the RCI Show being a one-day event for exhibitors?
It’s worth noting that visitors do not go to exhibitions to see big glamours stands. They want to connect with businesses who offer fantastic products, and can offer expert and technical advice, this can be achieved from a stand as little as 9m2.
Having been in this industry for 25 years, I understand the demands and pressures marketing teams are now under compared to 10 years ago. Making the RCI Show a one-day format vastly reduces costs associated with exhibitions, such as travel, hotels, entertainment etc.
The logistics are also vastly reduced as there will be no need for staff turnover on alternative days, meaning less time out of the office.
Overall, we have simplified the event to make it as easy as possible to facilitate but ultimately providing the maximum opportunity for a return on investment.
If this your business strategy for 2024, then the RCI Show really is the place to be.
What stands are on offer for businesses wanting to exhibit?
The Show is continuing its shell-scheme-only format as this model gives businesses the opportunity to exhibit at the UK’s only dedicated show for a very reasonable cost compared to space-only stands, with all sizes from our smallest 9m2 to our largest 21m2 stands (if you want to really stand out at the Show) coming with walls, facia board, carpet, two spotlights and one socket.
After selecting a size, it’s a case of dressing the stand accordingly to promote your marketing message, which can be done with simple and effective pop up/roller banners, Foamex boards, or on a bigger scale with a demo rig to show your products in situ.
What do businesses get out of exhibiting that wasn’t available before?
As part of our ongoing commitment in ensuring our exhibitors obtain the most amount of exposure when booking a stand, in addition to the usual internal and external marketing and social media content, I have launched the RCI Show digital magazine.
This is a quarterly publication sent out in January, March, June and September to our dedicated RCI Show only visitor database.
As part of their stand package, exhibitors will receive a FOC advert and editorial article in each RCI Show edition. This will enable all exhibitors to promote what they will be showcasing at the Show throughout the year.
Who visits the RCI Show?
Visitors to the RCI show are mainly owners, CEOs, directors and senior managers working within medium to large roofing and cladding contractors. We also target architects and specifiers, facility managers, local authorities, building and roofing merchants, as well as glazing and solid conservatory roof installers.
This is achieved by advertising the RCI Show in the leading titles associated within those sectors, along with various construction websites as part of our external marketing campaign.
This is achieved by advertising the RCI Show in the leading titles associated within those sectors, along with various construction websites as part of our external marketing campaign.
Why should you visit the RCI Show?
Launched in 2013, the RCI Show has been providing visitors the opportunity to come together all under one roof to network, source new products from leading manufacturers and suppliers, get hands-on with our live demos and learn from our comprehensive seminar theatres.
This year we already have a fantastic line up of exhibitors which is growing each month and early conversations are taking place for our seminar and debate programmes, which will shine a light on issues affecting our industry.
Support for the RCI Show is paramount, especially considering that other building disciplines have their own industry shows which are all well supported. It’s therefore important for our industry to support and visit this FREE event solely dedicated to the roofing, cladding and insulation sectors to ensure its success for future generations to come.
