RAC09 (24-26 February 2009, NEC, Birmingham) proved yet again to be the perfect, focused meeting place for the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, despite increasingly tough economic conditions. The success of the show has been reflected by exhibitor rebooking, with 50% of the floor space already reserved for the 2011 RAC show, together with overflowing seminars and excellent business activity on stands during this year’s exhibition.
“The verdict on RAC09 is overwhelmingly positive, in a time of economic uncertainty,” comments Event Director David Pierpoint. “Some exhibitors went into this year’s show with cautious expectations, but feedback from exhibitors has been extremely upbeat. Comments from exhibitors show they have been highly satisfied with RAC09, especially concerning the quality of visitors and number of leads generated, with a high proportion of exhibitors having already rebooked to return for RAC11. The fact that exhibitors are committing to the next RAC exhibition two years in advance illustrates how key the show really is to doing business, especially in the current financial market.”
There were some great new products on show from 120 exhibitors representing all aspects of the industry, which allowed the high proportion of quality visitors attending the show an opportunity to get to grips with the very latest technology. The show attracted an audience comprised of contractors, consultants, dealers and distributors connected with refrigeration and air-conditioning, as well as a cross-section of influential end-users from retail, commercial, leisure and industrial markets, with an overall attendance figure of 5,800 (pre-audited figure)*.
The seminar and Skills Centre programmes, running throughout the show, were enthusiastically received by participants. Reflecting the show’s theme of ‘Low carbon cooling and heating solutions’, the seminar sessions embraced many of the energy and environmental issues challenging the sector, and explored the related changes to technology, legislation and regulation for visitors. A particular highlight of the programme was a session on the big supermarkets’ priorities, which proved incredibly popular enjoying a standing-room only capacity audience. Here, a lively industry panel debate featuring equipment buyers from the leading UK supermarkets – Paul Hooper, Services Manager at Morrisons, Paul Garton from Midlands Co-operative and Brian Churchyard, Refrigeration Manager at ASDA WAL-MART UK – examined the impact of environmental issues and energy costs on their strategies, and revealed their thinking on green initiatives for the future.
Meanwhile, the Service Engineer Skills Centre offered a platform for RAC contractors and service engineers to be updated on the technical, legislative and health and safety topics that are central to their day-to-day work. Sponsored once again by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Skills Centre consisted of fifteen 45-minute sessions over the three days. Each session saw a good turnout and the daily HRP Skills Challenge gave attendees the chance to show off their industry knowledge and win some fabulous prizes.
RAC09 was once again supported by The Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA), alongside the British Refrigeration Association (BRA), the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR), the Heating & Ventilating Contractors Association (HVCA), the London Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Society as well as the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.
The next RAC exhibition will take place from 29 – 31 March 2011 and will continue to run alongside the H&V (Heating & Ventilation) exhibition, helping to ensure that RAC11 remains a powerful draw for all those involved in the building services sector.
For details on exhibiting at RAC11, contact Richard Morris on
020 7728 4626 or email richard.morris@emap.com.
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