New look Totally reports growth
30 March 2016
Held on 16th – 17th February 2016 at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, UK, the 22nd Totally DIY:Totally Tools show saw 1,200 visitors attend the new two day format. Claire Edwards, deputy editor, visited the show to find out how the industry would react to the new look show.
Organisers, Brintex Events, reported a growth in exhibitors for the third year in succession, with over 125 exhibitors (up from 102 in 2014 and 111 in 2015). Bill Butler, show director, stated: “We’re delighted that for the third year in a row we’ve managed to grow the number of exhibitors, and as such increase the number of products we can display – expanding the event proposition for visitors. Many of the exhibitors I spoke to commented on the impressive quality of the visitors, and the energised atmosphere that the shorter format brought to the exhibition floor.”
50 suppliers were new to the show, including BIZ Power Tools Ltd, Chicago Brand UK, Knightool®, Optimaxx and Tite-Fix Ltd.
Holly Wilkinson, strategist at Tite-Fix Ltd, commented: “Having heard good things about the Totally DIY:Totally Tools show we decided to exhibit for the first time this year. Footfall was strong and the visitors were of high-quality with some very interesting requests.”
Also exhibiting for the first time was global manufacturer of pressure sensitive adhesive patterns – Glue Dots International. David Angus, European key account manager at Glue Dots, said: “It was a very positive show and a great place to showcase our new product range to the DIY sector. The level and quality of visitors to our stand was very high and we generated some very interesting leads, which we hope will enable us to sell our products across the sector.”
This year’s show also saw a number of returning exhibitors such as A. Perry & Co (Hinges) Ltd, Bond It, Chemfix Products Ltd, ForgeFix Ltd, Polyseam Ltd, Soudal UK Ltd, tesa UK Ltd, and SnapIt Screw International.
Also returning to the show to launch its new Amtech brand of tools – in response to the changing DIY market – was DK Tools. Ishan Kalra, operations manager at DK Tools, explained: “This year’s show was a great opportunity to launch our new Amtech brand to an audience of interested and relevant buyers. The show generated many new opportunities for us with both existing and new customers. The quality of buyers at the show is always great – and this year was no different. The two day format distilled the qualities of the three day show into a shorter, more focused time frame.”
Taking a more prominent place at this year’s show – in the centre of the hall – was the New Product Showcase Area in which over 150 of the latest products and new technologies were displayed. Unlike previous years where gold, silver and bronze prizes were given out in a number of different categories, one prize was awarded for the ‘Best New Product’, which was awarded to Tileution Ltd for the ‘Peel Then Stick’ – a product that adds adhesive to sheets of A4 paper, which can then be applied directly to walls for tiling.
The overall impression and feedback from exhibitors at Totally DIY:Totally Tools was positive, with many reporting that the new two day format did not affect the high calibre and quality of visitors to the show. Buyers visiting the show included those from B&Q, Wickes, Screwfix, Stax, Selco, Tesco, Amazon and Homebase.
Next year’s Totally DIY:Totally Tools show will once again take place at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, on Tuesday 14th February – Wednesday 15th February 2017.
