SHORTLISTED FOR NATIONAL AWARD

EXHIBITION VENUE OF THE YEAR

The Ricoh Arena has been shortlisted in a national award to be crowned Exhibition Venue of the Year.

The venue will be competing against the NEC and ExCeL London to win the accolade at the Event Awards 2014 which will take place on Thursday, October 2 at The Troxy in London.

The Event Awards is the only industry awards ceremony that celebrates the creative, experiential and supplier sectors of the live events industry over the last 12 months – a period in which industry experts agree has led to significant growth for the sector.

This is backed up by the Ricoh Arena which has hosted 638 business events and increased its exhibition business by 50% in the qualifying period for the Event Awards between 2013 and 2014.

The Engineering Design & Electronics Design Show, Kidz in the Middle and the Trade Only National Show were highlighted by the Ricoh Arena during the nomination process for the Event Awards.

Liz Cooper, marketing director at the Ricoh Arena, said the three shows highlighted the adaptability and flexibility of the Midlands venue.

“We have been successful in two stages of judging to go through to the final of the Exhibition Venue of the Year category,” she said.

“The combination of our location and state-of-the-art facilities is instrumental in winning new exhibition business and retaining existing clients, and the shortlisting emphasises how we can also help organisers grow their exhibitions at the Ricoh Arena.

“The award-winning Engineering Design & Electronics Design Show tripled in size last year and visitor numbers rose from 1,500 in 2012 to 4,000 last year as the Electronics Design Show ran alongside the Engineering Design Show for the first time.

“We invested in a new Wi-Fi system which can accommodate up to 4,500 people using Wi-Fi at any one time and the entire Ricoh was used, as post-networking took place in the G Casino.

“Access is a number one priority at the Kidz in the Middle exhibition which is dedicated to children and young adults with disabilities and special needs, their families and professionals who work with them.

“Disabled car-parking is always available in our onsite car-parks which are close to the main reception, aisles were made larger than usual in the Jaguar Exhibition Hall for the show’s 2,000 visitors and the organiser’s office was transformed into a changing area to allow for a bed and hoist as staff worked with organisers to ensure all their needs were met.

“Trade Only took over the entire Ricoh Arena – 20,000 sq ft of event space – with all our facilities being used from security to organising a coach service.

“The challenge over the two days with 346 exhibitors and 3,500 visitors attending was finding more space to enable the show to grow which we achieved by installing sliding doors in the Legends Lounge for delegates to network into the atrium.

“The fact we are continuously growing as an exhibition venue of choice for organisers across the UK is testament to the professionalism and experience of our staff which is underlined by being a finalist in a national award.”