JUNE 2017 | 37
Review
SPACE SNAPPED UP
FOR FIT SHOW 2019
The 2017 FIT Show came to an end after three lively days at the show’s new venue at Birmingham’s NEC.
The event has come a long
way since its debut in Telford in
2013 and the growth over the years
was plain for all to see, with more
than 250 exhibitors and 9,935
unique visitors (rising to 13,285
when their revisits were counted
across the three days). FIT Show
organisers said the event was more
than 60 per cent bigger than 12
months ago.
Most were agreed that exhibitors
had gone the extra mile with the
high quality of stands – particu-
larly in design and graphics – and
expansion of top end products on
offer. There was also an improved
seminar programme covering sales,
business fixes, social media, tools
and tech, market trends and health
and safety.
And of course, there was a
wealth of competitions and activ-
ities such as the popular Master
Fitter challenge, taking in door,
roof lantern and bi-folding door
challenges. Visitors and exhibi-
tors got the chance to mingle and
relax at the ‘Big Tuesday’ evening
event, with stands staying open
until 8pm and putting on parties
and celebrations including an Irish
draft Guinness bar (Apeer) to prize
giveaways, competitions and live
music.
On Wednesday evening, the
Gala Dinner - with a burlesque
theme - was hosted by celebrity
Nick Knowles, and a good time
had by all possibly contributed to
Thursday being the slowest day at
the show in terms of footfall. Most
visitors had already got everything
they needed on Tuesday and
Wednesday - the busiest day.
The first day of the show was
somewhat subdued due to the
tragedy in Manchester earlier in
the week, and increased security
throughout the NEC was evident
for the rest of the event, with
armed police, sniffer dogs and
frequent bag checks.
Given that it was the hottest
week of the year so far, some used
to the smaller Telford venue were
initially caught off guard by the
sheer scale of the NEC site. The
walk from the car parks alone
caused a few groans, and the bus
service back to the cars was much
appreciated.
Product-wise, there was a big
focus on doors, particularly large
aluminium sliding doors aimed
at the luxury home market. AluK,
Luxal and Arkay all exhibited
impressive aluminium sliding doors
while Dutemänn showed off its
new FD85 bi-folding door system.
The FD85 represents the comple-
tion of a three-year project and is
the third product has brought to
market with its aluminium extruder
partner Alumil.
Aluminium was much in evi-
dence generally at the show – the
Council for Aluminium in Building
(CAB) reportedly had the largest
ever CAB aluminium pavilion and
CAB lounge.
Eye-catching composite doors
were also on offer from Bowater
by Birtley and Palladio Doors, both
making no compromise on styling
or security. In PVCu systems, pro-
ducers enjoyed interest in colour-
ed and heritage framing, while
machinery suppliers gained interest
especially in seamless welding.
The attention to detail and the
finishing on most of the top end
products was notable. There was
less on offer for the standard res-
idential market, but the effort put
into innovative new products and
technology was outstanding.
Among my FIT Show highlights
was a ‘virtual reality experience’ at
the Rehau stand which provided
a detailed walk-through tour of a
house, courtesy of a new virtual
reality app. It allowed us to inspect
each nook and cranny and view
details of doors and windows from
every angle. The tour was provided
by Toby Pettinger, co-founder of
virtual reality company MyPad3d.
Also interesting was the growing
focus on new installer networks,
installer support and accreditation
schemes - showing that the need
to reassure homeowners of high
quality industry standards is now
more crucial than ever.
Systems company Epwin Group
launched its own new installer
programme Excellence as Standard
(EAS), Corgi Fenestration Scheme
Ltd was out in force bringing
the trusted Corgi name into the
fenestration world, and Masco
UK Fabrication was offering full
marketing support for installers
through its SafeChoice brand.
Many exhibitors were keen to
stake their place at the next FIT
Show, confirmed as taking place in
two years’ time on 21st, 22nd and
23rd May, 2019. Almost half of the
available stand space for the next
event was contracted or reserved
before the doors closed, and a fur-
ther 25 per cent increase in space
was announced for 2019.
The FIT Show’s Matthew Glover
said: “The show is all about the
people and companies that ex-
hibit. Exhibitors have once again
worked hard to promote the event
and those efforts, combined with
the biggest FIT Show campaign
ever, succeeded in boosting visitor
numbers once again.”