Sarah is a sales & marketing content writer, with ten years of experience within the engineering & manufacturing industry. Working both at Qimtek and on a freelance basis, she can usually be found hammering away at a keyboard or with her head in a pile of engineering drawings.
Southern Manufacturing 2017 - An Overview
As the largest regional show dedicated to engineering, Southern Manufacturing is always popular with both purchasers and suppliers from the industry. This year bucked tradition by taking place a whole month later than previous events; nonetheless, it still presides as the primary exhibition in 2017’s calendar, signalling the end of the winter hiatus.
Judging from the abundance of traffic upon opening morning, it couldn’t come soon enough for a lot of people. As I followed five other vehicles to the overflow carpark at Farnborough Airport, a mere half an hour after doors first opened, it became apparent that my concerns surrounding the footfall – and subsequently, my decision to visit - within the initial stages of the event may have been unfounded.
Why Exhibit?
It’s no secret that Southern Manufacturing garners a lot of attention, with a record attendance of 8625 at its 2016 event. For companies that are looking to break into the automotive and aerospace industries, it facilitates a unique opportunity to channel a focused target audience, as 33.6% and 29.3% of visitors at last year’s show represented these sectors respectively. From an exhibitor’s standpoint, Southern Manufacturing promises to attract purchasing authorities from a range of household names, with companies such as BAE Systems, McLaren Automotive and Babcock gracing their visitor sample in the years prior.
So, is this what attracts subcontract suppliers to Southern Manufacturing?
‘We decided to exhibit here as it’s a local show, which focuses on an area in which there is a significant amount of manufacturing,’ explained Richard Blake, from the Eastleigh-based precision machining company, GW Martin.
‘We took a bit of a chance last year when we exhibited here for the first time, but it was the right decision – we had a great show and that’s why we’re back again this year.’
This sentiment was echoed by many of the companies I spoke to as I made my way around, suggesting that the proof is very much in the pudding. A majority of exhibitors were no stranger to Southern Manufacturing and many were veterans of the event, having booked stands for five consecutive years or more. All were confident in the alignment of the show’s visitors with their business’s offerings, with many having picked up lucrative contracts through their previous efforts.
Indeed, the atmosphere inside the show felt lively right from the start, with plenty of conversation taking place between both sides. As you may know from my previous post, I’m a huge advocate of exhibiting and I believe it should be an integral part of any company’s marketing strategy; however, the outcome of any show is always going to be heavily reliant on the ability of the exhibitor to showcase their business. Southern Manufacturing is set apart by the fluid nature of the communication, hinting at the receptivity of those visiting, as well as betraying that this may not be the first rodeo of many of the companies behind the stands.
But what about those that haven’t previously exhibited at Southern Manufacturing?
Grenville Engineering is one such a company. Based in Stoke-on-Trent and offering a comprehensive fabrication service, they have previously exhibited at events such as Subcon and the Mach show; however, Southern Manufacturing is a new venture for them.
‘We visited a few times and got feedback from some of the exhibitors to gauge how popular the show is,’ explains Atia Bukhari, Marketing Manager. ‘A lot of people have said that it is a worthwhile event, so we thought this might be something we would like to focus on and explore.’
‘Being so diverse, it was important for us to broaden our reach in the southern region - although we are quite widely spaced out within the UK, we saw this as a good opportunity for us to build our brand. We want to highlight the fact that we have a full-source fabrication solution and showcase the services we offer.’
Southern Electronics:
It seems that the reputation of Southern Manufacturing has grown beyond that of an electronics-centric show, although this continues to be an integral part of the proceedings. A dedicated subcontract electronics section - Southern Electronics – gives the show a niche that sets it apart from similar events. Judging by the number of visitors surrounding the stands of the electronics suppliers, this perseveres as a key driver of footfall which benefits the exhibitor population as a whole.
The range of electronics services on offer is extensive. From design and development, through to the supply of electronic components, enclosures and assembly, it’s easy to see why this is an area which Southern Manufacturing prides itself upon.
One of the companies exhibiting under the electronics umbrella is CIE Connectivity, whose approach to attracting potential customers is failsafe. Wielding a box of chocolates, Ben Yeardley, Sales Manager, must have seen me coming and after devouring a Creme Egg at lightning speed, I spoke with him about his experiences with the show thus far.
‘We’ve been exhibiting at Southern Manufacturing and Northern Manufacturing for four years now,’ he informs me. ‘I’ve never come away from a show with less than four new customers.’
‘Because we’re so varied in what we do, it’s a very good way of us finding new clients that we would never usually meet.’
Seminars and the Internet of Things:
Rounding off my day at Southern Manufacturing, I attended a seminar given by IIOT. Having previously earmarked their choice of topic – the internet of things – as something of interest, I was intrigued as to how they would define this subject which, admittedly, I previously knew very little about.
IIOT’s Managing Director, Minesh Shah and his team, did an excellent job of engaging their audience and explaining the internet of things in context with the manufacturing sector as a whole. Given the current prominence of the internet of things as a hot topic within the industry, the seminar was useful in understanding where the future of manufacturing lies, from a company that specialises purely in the implementation of IOT solutions.
It’s not unusual for exhibitions to offer seminars as part of the package, although I did feel that Southern Manufacturing’s offerings were particularly relevant to the imminent changes taking place within the industry. Taking a look over the programme for all three days, a majority were dedicated to technological advancements, as well as the political implications for the manufacturing sector post-Brexit – the understanding of both of which is crucial for forward-thinking organisations.
2017 – A New Record?
Whilst 2016 may have been a record-breaking year for the show, the general consensus of everyone I spoke to was that this year’s event was shaping up to be even bigger, with higher footfall numbers than previously experienced. Having attended Southern Manufacturing on both of these occasions, I would be inclined to agree and I’ll patiently await the visitor statistics for 2017.
With a growing reputation amongst the entirety of the manufacturing industry, both buyers and suppliers alike should consider Southern Manufacturing as an important place at which to see and be seen.