Service Management Expo confirms 2009, its 25th anniversary, is certainly a year to celebrate, with an 8% increase in visitors and 92% exhibitor rebookings

The 25th anniversary event of Service Management Expo took place last week at Birmingham’s NEC and was certainly a celebration. Despite the current economic conditions the number of pure visitors who attended the event increased by an impressive 8% whilst 92% of exhibitors confirmed that they will be back in 2010.

Melissa Roberts, Event Manager, confirmed, “This result is resounding confirmation that the service management industry is weathering the storm and that the market responded to our many changes to the show. There is still an enormous appetite for the products and services on offer at the show, whether decision makers are sourcing solutions to put into immediate effect or planning how to spend budgets when the thaw comes.”

The 100 exhibitors at this year’s show met 2,402 visitors (total attendance: 2,829) with 60% from senior management and holding decision-making responsibilities.

Paul Adams, Business Development Director, Solarvista, explained what he thought of the event, “This is the 17th year Solarvista has been exhibiting at SME and it forms a central part of our marketing efforts. We have been extremely pleased with 2009’s event and indeed benefited from more interest than ever. Our stand was operating at capacity across both days. We have already re-booked for 2010 and look forward to another successful year.”

A second exhibitor, Len Mifsud, UK Marketing Manager, Isotrak, agreed, “This is the first time we have exhibited at Service Management Expo and we have been very impressed with the quality of the sales leads generated along with the professional attitude of the UBM staff. SME is living proof that ‘size doesn’t matter’. It’s not the biggest of shows, but really packs a punch when it comes to speaking to company decision makers. It’s a must for any technology company providing a service to this sector.”

Visitors also benefited from huge additions to the education programme and attended two high-profile keynotes: Deborah Meaden and Dr Dominic Swords, and learned from speakers in the 10 Solutions Theatre sessions – both brand new for the 2009 event.

Over 800 visitors attended one or more of the sessions in the free Conference programme, which was enhanced for 2009 with a new mobile stream and included speakers from BSkyB, Fujitsu, Comet, RSPCA and NHS. One visitor, IT Development Manager from the Facilities Services Group commented on the event and education programme, “My overall impression of the show was excellent: very busy and a great variety of exhibitors. The education programme and the guest speakers were also from a cross-section of the industry which was good – in general a really worthwhile event.”

Attendees’ main areas of interest/investment at the show have continued to develop, demonstrating a widening need for service management solutions both in terms of technical & logistical based, as well as confirming the importance of traditional & mobile technology solutions. The top 10 areas include: handheld terminals & PDAs (33.12%); service management software (29.43%); mobile communications software (27.43%); mobile hardware & accessories (25.02%); scheduling software (22.45%); call centre & helpdesk solutions (22.29%); IT services & support (21.17%); CRM (19.57%); vehicle tracking & fleet management (18.52%); and browser-based service solution (18.04%).

The new showfloor Networking Bar also proved to be popular and was continually busy over the two day event acting as the perfect area for visitors to meet with colleagues and acquaintances.

“As my first visit to SME, the event has definitely met my objectives - I have been able to research suppliers, meet with people and see what their companies are doing as well as hear leading industry commentary”, remarked a first time attendee to SME, Project Manager, BT.

Next year’s event will take place in Hall 10 at the NEC Birmingham on 21 – 22 September 2010.