EUROPE - Reed Exhibitions is relocating its Helitech trade show to Excel London next year followed by Germany in 2014 as part of plans to internationalise the brand.
The show, which has been held in the UK for the past 25 years and at Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire for the last 11, is being rebranded Helitech International and moving to Excel from 24 to 26 September 2013. The organiser said the currently biennial show will then move to Berlin in 2014, following by key locations around Europe in a bid to better engage global buyers and suppliers.
The decision to become a peripatetic, annual European event follows an independent survey of existing and potential exhibitors, Reed said. As well as its core exhibition, next year’s Helitech will feature an expanded conference focused on industry trends and future challenges.
“Helitech has been staged successfully in the UK for 25 years, but the message from the industry underlined by our research, is that we must recognise the ever increasing internationality of this sector while retaining our core base of companies and service providers,” event director John Hyde said.
“Helitech International 2013 will meet the demand from the civil and parapublic helicopter sectors for a global showcase of rotary wing platforms, equipment, technologies and services, together with a high calibre conference addressing the issues that are shaping the future of the industry.”
The rebranding will retain the goodwill around Helitech while repositioning the event as a global one, Reed said.
The Excel show will include an indoor static aircraft display as well as the opportunity for customer flights in exhibitors’ aircraft just outside the exhibition hall. Having a permanent facility moving forward also offered a better platform for new launches and product showcases, Reed claimed.
The 2011 edition attracted 4,000 attendees from 59 countries and was supported by 200 exhibitors. The show was backed by an agreement with the British Helicopter Association, giving it exclusive support of the expo and conference.
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