The Fire Safety Event 2019 hailed a huge success by visitors and exhibitors alike. The Fire Safety Event 2019 and its co-located shows have enjoyed the most successful event to date welcoming over 11,733 visitors across three days at the NEC, Birmingham. The Fire Safety Event has firmly cemented itself as the fastest growing exhibition in the UK for the industry, providing a platform that ensures its visitors are equipped to maintain the highest fire safety standards.
High-profile incidents in recent years have put a spotlight on the industry and The Fire Safety Event recognises it has a role to provide ongoing education on new standards and legislation, best practice advice and help support the industry by providing them access to companies and products that will better prepare them.
The Fire Safety Event has seen phenomenal growth since its inception in 2017. The event, which began with 16 exhibitors this year boasted over 50 and remains a firm favourite with many exhibitors who have been with the show from day one. Liam Hunt of Safety Technology International enthused, “It was refreshing to meet so many installers and end users who use, trust, and recommend our products – the Fire Safety Event provides a platform to target new faces within the fire and security industry. A trio of crowded days highlights a marked increase in footfall on previous years, STI look forward to making it four shows out of four in 2020.”
Over 75% of 2019 exhibitors have already secured their space for 2020, promising that the events exceptional growth will continue into 2020 – and beyond. The high calibre, industry-leading exhibitor line up for this year included Advanced, asecos, c-Tec, Checkmate Fire Solutions Ltd, FFE Limited, Fike Safety Technology Ltd, FireClass, FirePro UK Ltd, Kingspan, Klaxon, Turner & Townsend, WAGNER UK Ltd, and Xtralis UK Ltd. Ian Rose, Director of Global Fire Equipment (UK) commented, “The Fire Safety Event is fast becoming the key fire industry exhibition to attend for both visitors and exhibitors alike. With its being held central to the UK at NEC it is accessible to all. Global Fire Equipment will be returning for the 2020 show”.
The event received high praise from both exhibitors and visitors, with feedback attesting that, “For all things connected to fire safety the fire safety event is the place to be.” The Fire Safety Event’s intent is to break the mould for such exhibitions, aiming to challenge and educate audiences by offering creative, varied and dynamic features alongside its world-class exhibitor line up. Features which they hope visitors will continue to remember off-site. The exhibition achieved a fine balance of features, seminars and exhibitors, with another visitor noting: “The Fire Safety Event is an interesting and enjoyable experience for all those involved with an interest in fire. It covers all aspects; I will definitely be back next year.”
As it grows in stature, it’s not only new exhibitors that are attracted to The Fire Safety Event, but higher profile speakers. Two impressive keynote speakers for this year being Neil O’Connor CBE, Director of the Building Safety Programme at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and former NYC Fire Commissioner Sal Cassano. With 67% of visitors also pre-registering for seminars, The Fire Safety Event is shown to fulfil the desire within the industry for the latest product innovations, best practice, and advice on legislative changes.
Particularly noteworthy for this year were the numerous specialist demonstrations on offer – such as the live burn tests from Kingspan and asecos’ DSEAR with a Bang Demo Area. This content helps translate the importance of fire safety into real world scenarios and has made a memorable impact on this year’s visitors.
Brand new for 2019 and another great success was the Tall Building Fire Protection Area hosted by the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP). This feature brought together expert speakers from across the industry, hosting highly contemporary seminars. Throughout the full 3-day duration, this Protection Area was a hive of activity across all the ASFP’s varied sessions. Visitors recognise the value of the concurrent seminar programme, commenting: “I would highly recommend this event to anyone within the field of Health and Safety, Fire Safety or Compliance.” The Fire Safety Event truly recognises the importance of providing guidance and insight through such event features and they will continue to be developed in the 2020 edition.
WBE (Part of Nineteen Group), owner of The Fire Safety Event saw impressive growth across the entire series, covering the three co-located exhibitions – The Security Event, The Facilities Event and The Health & Safety Event. One visitor commented, “The event was really helpful in getting what I needed all under one roof at the same time – Fire, Security & Health and Safety.” With such a comprehensive offering, The Fire Safety Event and its co-located events are a must attend for anyone who has an interest in improving life safety, business continuity and business protection within their organisation.
The Fire Safety Event will return on 28-30 April 2020 at the NEC, Birmingham. For more information and to register your interest, visit firesafetyevents.com
