Exhibitions Scene Verdict: Alive & Kicking!

Large exhibitions are far from dead, indeed on recent experience they are very much alive and kicking! 

The fact is there’s something deeply rewarding and uplifting about the interactions you get at a face-to-face event, and long may they continue.  

September 2023 was an extremely busy month for BVAA, with three major exhibitions, in three different countries! The week that we didn’t have an external expo, we were hosting our own amazing ‘desktop’* exhibition at Wood in Reading. 

Offshore Europe in Aberdeen was a joyous event.  Despite all the political pressures and many job losses in the northeast, OE was positively bouncing and an exciting show, in our opinion one of the best yet, with scores of BVAA members in attendance.  Investor confidence has been dealt several boosts recently, and the 2025 event should be even better still. There was a welcome focus on the transition to Hydrogen, which we must remember will be delivered to us by the very same investors, suppliers, contractors and operators. 

It was BVAA’s first attendance at Hydrogen Technology Expo in Bremen last week, but again it was an extremely busy two days. Growing rapidly, a recurring theme at this really friendly show was that ‘we’re all learning’ – it was indeed a golden opportunity to take in more about the H2 scene, and again many BVAA members exhibited or walked the show. 

Also buoyant was the UK Metals Expo held at the NEC last month. Still a relatively new exhibition, there were once again many members from our Materials sector and their customers in attendance, all revelling in having their own specialist event.  BVAA Board Member Adam Bradley (Corrosion Resistant Materials) commented: 

“The UK Metals Expo this year was the best yet. Following on form a successful 2022 event, we were excited to exhibit at this showcase event for the UK Metals Industry. 

We had the opportunity to speak to not only our current suppliers and customers, but also hundreds of potential new ones.  It was great to catch up with everyone in the Industry and find out the opportunities and challenges for the coming 12 months. 

It was a real success for the team as we had a constant stream of visitors to the stand.  We have already booked for 2024 which promises to be even better.” 

*For more about our BVAA Desktop Exhibitions, see Events - BVAA

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