On Monday 28 November the East Midlands Expo — incorporating the seventeenth annual Property & Business Investment Show — will take place at the East Midlands Conference Centre on the University Park in Nottingham.
With record numbers of delegates pre-registering, and increase in the number of exhibitors at the show, it is on target to be the one of the busiest on record since the event first launched in 1999 by Martin Freeman. Now managed by Martin’s daughter, Tina King, the event is still primarily aimed at those who work within the property and business investment arena, and continues to provide a platform to promote the services and products of related businesses with face-to-face networking opportunities.
The East Midlands Expo gives exhibitors the chance to present and discuss their products and services with potential clients. Each year the event results in significant business transactions — testimony to the success of the event and its effectiveness of matching buyers with suppliers.
The event is free for delegates to attend the event and there is ample free parking at the conference centre, which also offers free wifi and various break-out and hospitality areas. The 2016 seminar “What helps put the Great in Britain”, is also free to attend and will be compered by Kate Tyler of social media consultancy, Shake.
Keynote speakers include Alastair Cunningham (Bank of England) who will be unpicking the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement; Craig Straw (Innes England) and Maria Coulter (a construction mentor).
There is also the popular VIP lunch, an ideal opportunity to continue discussions, as well as meeting new contacts, over a relaxed lunch. Our host this year is Adam Harris of Fresh Mindset — a master of connecting people. The event attracts a wide variety of exhibitors and delegates including professional intermediaries, environmental consultants, planners, engineering consultants, contractors, financiers and brokers, estate and property agents, landowners, property developers, construction companies, architects and interior designers, marketing and PR agencies.
Commenting on this year’s event Martin Freeman, Chairman of Invest East Midlands, said: “Not only do you get the opportunity to meet face-to-face new contacts and clients, you can manage your pitch based on an immediate response and evaluate what you need to say and the likely outcome. I say contacts as well as clients because one of the most important opportunities at an exhibition is to meet contacts — both old and new — who may be an intermediary for a future opportunity. Believe me it does happen where exhibitor teams secure multiple orders on the day,
“I have been there and secured some great orders myself, as well as connecting with great prospects to follow up; but, this is not always the best outcome of the experience; simply being there to raise the profile of your company brand is so important. If you are a buyer faced with a choice of suppliers, the fact is you are more likely to buy from someone you have heard of even more than buying simply at the lowest cost. But, it’s that intermediary potential that should never be overlooked; not everyone who will visit your stand will themselves be in a position to buy what you have to offer but it’s very likely they know of someone who will and it’s this opportunity that will give you a great return on your investment cost of exhibiting.”
