Official statistics published by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) today confirm that last year's Recycling & Waste Management Exhibition (RWM 08) attracted 9,034 visitors. This was 1,000 more visitors than RWM 07 and represents the fifth year-on-year increase for the Emap Connect show which serves a growing and dynamic industry. When exhibitors, press and seminar speakers are taken into account, the total attendance was 11,884.
Meanwhile a survey of exhibitors found that 93 per cent of RWM 08 exhibitors rated visitors as good or excellent and 77 per cent agreed that visitors matched their customer profile (with only 2 per cent disagreeing). Within one week of the show a third of RWM 08 exhibitors had taken orders and reported an immediate return on investment.
Event manager Gerry Sherwood said: "We know that RWM was a great success from the buzz on the show floor and feedback from our exhibitors. But an ABC certificate provides us with that concrete proof. In the current economic climate, we are all more accountable than ever before. Businesses and organisations will only choose to exhibit at trusted shows with a proven track record. RWM is the largest ABC-audited event in the industry calendar and we have a responsibility to consistently deliver serious buyers and prospects for our growing exhibitor base."
Against a backdrop of the UK's economic downturn, Emap Connect continues to invest in its offering to visitors and exhibitors and plans to grow RWM's core market while diversifying into new energy and waste markets. Hundreds of companies have already signed up to exhibit at RWM 09 which will take place at the Birmingham NEC from 15 to 17 September, and over 75% of stand space is now sold out. RWM 09 will feature free seminars with keynote addresses, and live outdoor waste and vehicle demonstrations. This year, organisers are introducing a dedicated Energy and Waste Water Seminar Theatre and a business networking zone.
A high profile visitor campaign will target the country's waste producers within a range of sectors including construction and retail. The RWM logo has been refreshed to reflect a more modern industry, and the show's online presence has been bolstered with a new website www.rwmexhibition.com and the launch of an RWM Blog and RWM Linked In Group. RWM 09 exhibitors will also benefit from full marketing support and access to a dedicated PR agency.
Ends.
About Emap Connect: Emap Connect houses the UK's biggest exhibitions portfolio plus the world's most powerful advertising festival, Cannes Lions. Exhibition brands include RWM, Spring Fair, Autumn Fair, Premier Kids, Interbuild and BETT. Emap Connect facilitates face-to-face interaction for business communities, either to buy and sell things, to share knowledge or to scrutinise new business ideas. See www.emap.com