FIT Show 2017 is just around the corner and there’s no denying that the industry is excited. With over 200 exhibitors set to promote new products, connect with existing customers, network with new ones, and more at the show’s new home – the NEC, Birmingham – it’s advised you save the dates May 23-25 as it’s going to be the talk of the industry for months to come.
There is only one FIT Show. It is the one UK event where the people and companies that produce and distribute products, components and services for the manufacture and installation of windows, doors and conservatories gather to meet the people and companies that sell, fabricate and install them.
Aside from being the three biggest business days of the year, why should you visit this year’s FIT Show? With three halls of exhibition space, occupying halls 6, 7 and 8, we’re packing in even more quality exhibitors and products to deliver a truly world class exhibition. With more space than ever before, we are expanding core areas of the show such as aluminium, including the new CAB pavillion, and expanding each of our core areas to allow for representation from new international exhibitors. And with more exhibitors and our most comprehensive seminar programme yet, you can’t afford not to be at FIT Show 2017.
Offering convenient parking with 16,500 spaces available, free Wi-Fi, top notch accommodation in various locations in and around the NEC, as well as free entry and at a location that is easy to access whether travelling by car, train or plane, these are just a few more reasons to visit this year’s show.
It doesn’t stop there either, if you’re looking for a way to wind down after the business day during the show the NEC premises plays host to bars such as the Bottega Prosecco Bar, the Sky Bar, and the World Bar, as well as the restaurants High Line New York Bar and Lounge, Andy Waters’ Brasserie, TGI Fridays, Nandos plus many more. If you fancy a film then there’s an 11-screen Cineworld available while if you’re looking to be pampered there’s also the Santai Medispa, complete with its own 15-metre long pool, sauna, fitness suite and state-of-the-art treatment rooms.
While many familiar faces return to the show this year the show is proving to be a massive hit with new exhibiting companies, who see the opportunities that they confidently expect will come from being present at one of the best trade shows in the business. Attracting no fewer than 99 new exhibiting companies who were not at FIT Show 2016, illustrating the huge interest it can generate within the industry, the likes of AluK, Longden Doors, Mexin Doors and European Chemical Industries are just some of the new exhibitors showcasing their products and services at the FIT Show.
Also representing a large amount of sectors within the industry, the show will be showcasing the best from the following:
- Adhesives/Sealants
- Aluminium
- Blinds/Shutters
- Certification
- Colour Coaters
- Commercial Vehicles
- Composite Doors/Windows
- Computer Hardware/Software
- Conservatories
- Curtain Walling
- Doors
- Fixings/Fasteners
- Foiling/Lamination
- Garage Doors
- Garden Rooms
- Glass
- Glass Machinery
- Lead Generation
- Marketing
- Orangeries
- Patio Doors
- Profile Bending
- PVCu Conservatories/Doors/Windows
- Recruitment
- Roofs
- Sash Windows
- Sliding Doors
- Spacer Bars
- Steel Doors
- Switchable Glass
- Timber Conservatories/Doors/Windows
- Tools
- Trade Associations
- Trade Publications
- Ventilation
- Windows
With lots going on at FIT Show 2017, including hundreds of new product launches, this year sees the introduction of the first ever BIG Tuesday. Billed as the biggest and best FIT Show yet, we’ve revealed later opening hours on the first day of the exhibition. The glass and glazing industry has always been known for its social scene, but with BIG Tuesday allowing for an extension of opening hours to 8pm, visitors to this year’s show will be able to mix business with pleasure, thanks to everything from champagne receptions to ‘80s themed discos, a host of anniversary celebrations and even a pub quiz and ballet dancing performance, once the exhibition begins to unwind after 5pm.
Offering hours of learning at the FIT Show, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the industry and maximise the potential of their business through various seminars and Q&As.
For 2017 we’ve put together the most comprehensive seminar programme yet, with a host of distinguished speakers covering a full spectrum of key topics for the window, door and conservatory industry. A total of 19 seminar sessions have been scheduled for the exhibition, all of which have been planned in order to provide show-goers with up to date advice on everything from market conditions, regulations and finance, to the latest sales, business and installation advice. See the full seminar schedule here: http://www.fitshow.co.uk/seminars
And not stopping there, with a significant aluminium presence at the 2017 FIT Show, there will also be a separate and dedicated programme from systems house AluK, which will be hosting a series of seminars focusing on the aluminium industry. Visitors to the Expert Zone on AluK’s stand (Q10) will have the opportunity to gain invaluable insight into the state of the aluminium market from the likes of CAB Chairman, Justin Ratcliffe, as well as get up to speed with the latest products, regulations and trends. All of which will prove to be vital information for any fabricators thinking about adding aluminium to their product offering.
Returning once again for 2017, the FIT Show’s popular Master Fitter Challenge, which is monitored and judged by Glass Qualifications Authority, will be one of the most visited activities over the course of the show’s first two days. With just six installers competing in the live finals for cash prizes totaling £10,000 they will actually install glazing products sponsored by the likes of Epwin, TruFit, Apeer, Atlas, AlUk, and FENSA all while thousands of visitors to the show walk around. Winner’s will be announced at the FIT Show Gala Dinner on the evening of May 24th.
Speaking of the Gala Dinner, following up the success of the Great Gatsby themed dinner we put on last year, for 2017 The FIT Show invites guests to the alleyways of deepest, darkest Paris for a Parisian Burlesque themed Gala Dinner. Taking place on the evening of Wednesday 24th May, the black tie event is set to be a sell out, hosting more than 1000 guests.
Complete with lavish drapes, intimate lighting and raunchy entertainment, guests can expect stunning showgirls, Can Can dancers, mime artists, contortionists and living statues from the Burlesque Show. Hosted by TV personality and star of SOS DIY: The Big Build Nick Knowles, guests will also enjoy a champagne reception, a delicious three-course meal with wine. Then after the FIT Show Awards, Installation of the Year winners announcement and the presentation of £10,000 worth of prize money to the winners of the Master Fitter Challenge, guests can party into the early hours with some fun features and dancing.
Taking place 23-25th May 2017, for more information on FIT Show 2017 please visit www.fitshow.co.uk or contact Will Lavin on: 07903 184662, or email: will@fitshow.co.uk. April 2017
