FIT SHOW 2017: MY FULL REVIEW

The FIT Show is over for another year, and there definitely won’t be another one until 2019. The stands have been packed down. Sore feet have been rested. The hangovers have been cleared. We’re all back to doing our day jobs.

I have already posted daily reviews of the exhibition. You can catch up with those, the live page and all other FIT Show related content by clicking here. This however is my full fat, bible-length pontification of the 2017 FIT Show. You’re going to want to be in bed, or sat on the loo for this one.

These views are my own, if you attended the show and disagree with anything below, feel free to put me right in the comments section at the bottom of this post!

High quality stands

One of the most immediate things that stood out for me was the very high quality of the stands on display this year. It was going to be a tough ask to flood this show with new products just a year after the last one. So it was clear that a great deal of time, effort and a fair few pound notes were spent on creating a wow factor with stands.

Props to all the designers and hard working staff who put in monster shifts the weekend before the doors opened to make sure they were all ready on time. There was the typical last minute rushes to get finished on time, and a few tired eyes on Tuesday morning as some staff worked into the morning to make sure things were ready on time.

But, as the doors opened, the show, the stands and the staff were all ready to go. Visually impressive. Physically massive.

New home, different atmosphere

For those exhibiting and visiting, I hope you all had your smartwatches on counting your steps. The NEC is a much bigger venue than it’s previous home in Telford. I would dare say that the car parking there is bigger than the TIC itself. You will have definitely got your 10,000 steps a day in if you were there.

With 250+ exhibitors, it would have been almost impossible to host this year’s show at any other venue than the NEC. It needed the space. And space is what you got. The edges of the halls were much wider, which allowed for off the cuff meetings and quick catch ups. The aisles between the stands were wider too. With a bigger footfall this year than in any other year, this was very much needed.

This year’s show was spread around three halls. However, the only signal of which hall you were in was from the outside. Once inside, there were no signs to show visitors which hall they were in, and I couldn’t see a single stand number on any of the stands. For the day trippers it would have helped to know exactly where they were just by looking up. These halls were massive and packed, so it did become a bit easy to get lost.

Speak to any of the exhibitors and they will tell you that the organisation and facilities at the NEC were second to non. This was a clear step up from Telford. Naturally you would expect this to be the case somewhere as established as the NEC. Still, £12 to park your car? Total rip off.

So, bigger halls, more stands, better stands, better organisation and a big rise in footfall which I’ll cover soon. Still, I could not help but feel like there was a bit of an odd atmosphere. On the first morning, many people were still waking up to the horrific news of what happened the night before in Manchester. There was a definite sombre mood in the halls on the Tuesday morning. By Wednesday, the busiest day, there was a much more obvious energy and buzz to the place. Thursday was very quiet. Hangovers in full flow and most day trippers been already, it was a steady end. But I could not help but feel that throughout the three days there was something at Telford that there was not here, and that for me was a close, cosy buzz, almost a family feel to it. Telford was much smaller in comparison. But when the industry descended there, it was all ours, and that brought it’s own unique energy to the place. The NEC, being the much bigger place it is, although well organised and everything you could possibly need, lost some of that cosy buzz due to it’s sheer size. Whether that becomes a bad thing only future shows will tell, but you couldn’t get away from it.

The numbers

You all know how I like my stats, and the FIT Show on Tuesday published it’s stats for footfall, and they were pretty much on the money:

Unique visitors: 9935 – up 16.85% from 2016

Total visits: 13,285

Tuesday: 4808

Wednesday: 5136

Thursday: 3341

Just before the show I said that this year’s exhibition needed to hit 10,000 unique visitors. I think I can let them off with that 65  but a big thumbs up from me for hitting that target. Not an easy feat considering the last show was only 12 months ago and at a brand new venue.

I was surprised to see Wednesday’s figures so close to that of Tuesday’s as I thought that day two was significantly busier than the first day. Thursday’s figures are what I thought they would be.

Overall these are solid numbers to build on towards the 2019 show. If I were to pluck some figures out of the air I would say that 12,000 unique visitors would be the target for the 2019 show. Given that there will be two years of innovation and new products, this should be an achievable target.

Product of the show

I am basing my judgement on this purely on the wow factor the product inspired in me. I am handing that crown to the guys at Alumil and their simply staggering range of Interno entrance doors.

Alumil are a Greek company, but operate globally and were at the FIT Show for the very first time, as were a lot of other internationally operating companies this year.

The doors above retail in the tens of thousands of euros, but you get what you pay for. If you saw them you could see the quality. In-built back-lit handles, mad door tech, door slabs thicker than walls. These things would keep a house held together. Honestly, most of us will never sell them, but for the wow factor, easily the best of the lot.

That being said, there were some other very jaw dropping doors on display this year. Including some mammoth sliding doors on the Luxal and Arkay stands. Lord knows the effort and people power required to put those things together. Again, unlikely to sell to most residential customers. But, what this door-heavy show did display, was the speed in which the UK door market is powering ahead. Massive innovation, new possibilities and new products. We were once decades behind other countries like Germany and Austria, but I don’t think that is the case now.

Things I would change

Nothing is ever perfect, no matter what the PR and the spin says. And there were a couple of things I would change, and of course these are my own opinions, so feel free to disagree away.

Personally, I would change the date of the Gala Dinner. Having it on a Wednesday pretty much ensures everyone is hungover on the Thursday. There’s little to no energy in the halls the following day, which doesn’t look professional for those visiting on the last day of the show. I would try moving it to Thursday for the 2019 exhibition. Hire the halls for the Friday, have take-down teams come in then to clear up. Allow three full days of relative hangover-free staff and stands. It would lift the level of professionalism and I think more of those taking part would appreciate not having to work the day after.

I would also re-think the Tuesday late opening. This year the NEC was open until 8pm, with a number of stands hosting drinks parties for those who chose to remain. I was treated to hospitality on both the MACO and Selecta stands, thanks to both if you’re reading! However, on reflection, the number of those that stayed appeared to be low, and in the end it was mostly exhibitors who diverted to other stands. I get the aim of late Tuesday. I suspect it was to try and recreate some of the boozy fun often found at Fensterbau. I think it’s a different demographic here. Should it happen again? I’m not sure. Most guests to the FIT Show go and do their own thing in the surrounding hotels and bars on the Tuesday night anyway.

Some other little things:

• install lockers in the halls – guests are bombarded with free things throughout the day, and they probably don’t want to have to carry things all day long. Some free lockers at the heads of the halls for people to drop their things off and roam hands free would be a good idea.
• cheaper parking – negotiate better rates for parking, especially for those staying more than one day. £12 per car per day is a total rip off.
• better hall labelling – the NEC is a big place, signs inside the halls wouldn’t be a bad addition to help visitors navigate better

All in all though, this was still a very well organised, well attended event, a true achievement given this is the first year in a new home. Could it have been delayed a year? Should it have been held one year later? I asked some attending and exhibiting and the answer was yes. Although they clarified that they still enjoyed the 2017 show.

Themes and content to come

These things always thrown up a plethora of issues and topics, and trust me, I think I have at least two months worth of content, ideas and industry discussion to put into words. I could have mentioned some of them in this review, but it would have ended up as long as the old testament, so I have saved many of them for their own dedicated posts.

But, there were some clear themes that came out of the exhibition, including the rapid rise of the patio slider, the role of women in the industry, certain marketing campaigns, aluminium in the residential market, price increases, fabrication in crisis, door tech, customer service to mention just a few.

I’ll say this though, the B-word was never mentioned to me once in discussions whilst I was there. Perhaps a sign the industry is sick of talking about it and just want to get on with doing their jobs and earning some money.

Summing up, a big well done should go to the organisers for putting on a very well attended, very well organised event that we all hope will benefit the industry in the weeks and months to come. An even bigger round of applause should go to the exhibitors themselves. These things really do put a great deal of pressure on companies, in terms of design and marketing of their stands, as well as the people power and organisation required to pull each stand off. It’s a real drain, energy sapping. There were some very tired people on stands on Thursday, but they should all be congratulated for being absolutely on the money from the get go. Well done.

The FIT Show 2017 has been hailed as representing a ‘coming of age’, with an increase in visitor numbers and a change of venue propelling the event to another level.

Exhibitors and visitors largely echoed the positive sentiments of the events organisers, which described the event as an ‘unequivocal success’ and reported that almost half of the available stand space for the next show in 2019 was ‘contracted or reserved before the doors closed’ last week.

A key change for this year’s event was, of course, its location. Described by FIT Show MD, Paul Godwin, as representing ‘a coming of age’ for the show, the new venue of Birmingham’s NEC generated a mixed response. While some mourned the loss of the ‘intimacy’ and ‘buzz’ generated by the FIT Show’s former home at Telford’s TIC, claiming that the show seemed quieter, contrary to the organisers’ figures (which show a 17% increase in visitors), others welcomed the extra space and easier access offered by the new NEC venue.

One such supporter for the new venue was machinery supplier, Stuga, which was able to debut its brand new ZX5 sawing and machining centre on a stand some 19m x 6m, a feat rendered impossible in Telford.

Company owner, Steve Haines, reported that the show had been a success for Stuga, commenting: “We’ve had lots of interest in the ZX5. It’s been brilliant to be able to show people the technology.”

Likewise, James Lee, director of marketing and communications at the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) commented how the extra space allowed the organisation to really ‘make a statement’ in celebration of its 40th anniversary. James said: “We enjoyed having more space this year. It allowed us to make a really strong brand statement to reflect our 40th anniversary year. The four metre high ‘founders’ wall’, our members’ lounge and the GGF video on our TV monitors attracted many visitors to the stand.”

The GGF also welcomed another new element for the FIT Show 2017 – extended opening hours on ‘Big Tuesday’. The organisation took full advantage with a ‘life begins at 40’ celebration, complete with live band. Despite some criticism, Big Tuesday was generally well received, with several companies taking full advantage of the after hours atmosphere. Notable activities included AluK’s ‘Big FIT Show Quiz’, an 80s themed party from RegaLead and Lancashire Trade Frames and pints of Guinness at Apeer’s Irish bar. Elsewhere, glass balustrade designer and manufacturer, OnLevel, offered a real treat with a live performance from talented ballet dancer, Nathalie Hombergh; Rehau showcased an ice sculptor in action and Ultraframe’s marching band kept anyone at risk of nodding off after a hard day’s exhibiting, well and truly awake.

For systems company, the Epwin Group, this year’s FIT Show marked the official launch of its brand new installer programme, Excellence As Standard (EAS).

Sharn Samra, Epwin Group marketing director, said: “Striving for excellence and continuous improvement across all project stages is a key part of our core values. This year’s FIT Show is the perfect platform to communicate our new programme to those in our industry. Our new EAS programme will provide a benchmark for consumers for the manufacture, distribution and installation of high quality products within the window and door industry. Members of the programme will pledge their allegiance to excellence through continuous improvement by upskilling, sharing best practice and will be fully supported by the EAS Academy in the process to become EAS certified.”

The organisation further demonstrated this commitment to excellence by backing this year’s Master Fitter Challenge and also laying on a series of ‘mini masterclasses’ with speakers including Fensa’s John Vanstone, Sally Ranger of Thomas Sanderson Blinds and Paul Gray of the Vocational College.

Following months of preparation, Made For Trade returned to the show to follow up on the successful unveiling of its Korniche roof lantern at last year’s event, with former Nuts cover girl, Iga Wyrwal, on stand to promote the silicon free aspect of the roof. The company invited visitors to watch live demonstrations of how a 1m x 1.5 m lantern can be constructed, fully glazed, in as little as six minutes, with Iga and Bullseye’s very own Sarah Knight showing onlookers how it’s done on day three of the show.

Meanwhile, Carl F Groupco was celebrating the anniversary of the launch of SmartSecure, its ‘smart tech’ brand, revealed at last year’s show. The company’s hardware selector, which enabled visitors to easily browse the company’s range of more than 7,000 product lines, was also hailed as a ‘hands down success’.

Meanwhile, it was the new UltraSky Roof and the launch of the Which? Trusted Traders scheme stealing the Show for Ultraframe at this year’s FIT. Alex Hewitt, Ultraframe marketing director commented: “This has been our most successful FIT Show, no question. Interest in our UltraSky Roof was exactly as we’d hoped and visitors were really excited to discover how they could integrate our cost effective, contemporary orangery system into their offer. Equally, retailers also wanted to talk to us about how they could become a Which? Trusted Traders Approved Ultra Installer and use this accreditation to win business locally. It was a fantastic show for us.”

Solidor took a stand at the FIT Show to launch its new £5,000 guarantee, with Gareth Busson, head of group marketing, describing the show as ‘the perfect platform’. Gareth said: “Our stand was small, but perfectly formed! From our perspective, the show was well organised and we had a lot of interest. We were always busy and received a good amount of enquiries from new and potential customers.”

Another company ‘flying the flag’ for composites at FIT, was Bowater by Birtley. The company’s Kevin Kiernan said: “We were promised a bigger and better FIT as a launch platform for us to bring Bowater back in the form of Bowater by Birtley composite doors. The FIT Show delivered. We heard on the first day that visitor numbers were up on the last Telford show but as an exhibitor, even more importantly, the visitors that we spoke to were genuinely on the hunt for new and better products. We were particularly impressed with the number of international visitors that we had on the stand and were pleased to be flying the flag for composites to UK and global visitors alike.”

Meanwhile, ERA’s marketing and innovation director, Will Butler described FIT as a ‘tremendous success’ for the company, which was showcasing 14 new ranges in the ‘ERA innovation zone’. Will said: “There was plenty to see and get excited about. Feedback from visitors was excellent – ERA has got the full package, from cutting-edge hardware to trailblazing smart ware, all backed by the generous reassurance of the Total Security Guarantee.”

The show was also the platform for Composite Wood Company to reveal that it has joined forces with Eurocell to put its timber alternative decking, fencing and balustrades into all of Eurocell’s 170 trade counters covering the UK, kicking off the partnership with neighbouring stands at the show.

Lee Robinson, senior product category manager at Eurocell, said: “Composite wood decking and fencing is an exciting addition to Eurocell trade counters. For installers, it’s fast and easy to fit, and homeowners love having a natural wood feel without the hassle of maintaining it.”

Tony Pratt, sales director at Composite Wood Company, added: “Offering composite wood products through Eurocell trade counters is a fantastic opportunity to further develop our supply to the trade. The Composite Wood Company team is looking forward to developing great working relationships with all Eurocell branches.”

David Wigley, head of marketing at Synseal Group, summed up when he said: “After a busy three days, it wasn’t until 4.01pm on Thursday that we really had the chance to reflect on the show, how our two brands, WarmCore and Masterdor stood up to the competition with their own stands this year, and what the change of venue to the NEC meant for the industry’s premier show. In truth, I missed a bit of the youthful, adolescent energy that FIT Show 2016 had – the entrepreneurial feel of a community coming together. In contrast, FIT ‘17 has a come of age feel about it, which is probably what we all needed in terms of a stable platform for us to engage in a hands on way with our market. It was also great to see installers making up a greater proportion of the visitors this year, as it’s these end decision makers that make or break products in our industry.”

There will be further review of the FIT Show in next week’s Bullseye.

The next FIT Show will take place in two years’ time on 21, 22 and 23 May 2019.

The post Another hit for FIT in 2017 appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Tougher second-time replacement sells and the shift away from home ownership, are driving long-term change in the window and door industry.

The analysis was delivered by Robert Palmer, Palmer Market Research during last month’s FIT Show seminar programme.

He said first time window and door replacements had dropped from 80% in 2000 to less than 30% in 2015, with ‘replacement of replacement’ installations now accounting for 70% of all installations.

He argued that this was driving increased focus on aesthetics, “Homeowners want something that is tangibly different and the appearance of windows is increasingly important in the market”, he said.

“That in turn is driving innovation in the industry and the shift to premium finishes and foils in retail markets.

“While there will always be a place for standard budget white PVC-U, there has been definite shift in consumer expectation.

“The industry has responded with foils and premium finishes as well as the very substantial growth that we’re seeing in demand for aluminium.”

To this end he forecast that aluminium is on course to reach a 17-year high by 2020, topping 220,000 frames by the end of the three-year period.

This he said would be delivered by significant growth in the bi-fold market, which he forecast was set for growth of 30% through to 2020 in all material types to 55,000 door sets. Of these predicted that aluminium would take the lion’s share of the market at 35,000 units.

Palmer cited ‘exponential growth’ in the solid roof conservatory market as a second key area of opportunity. According to The Window, Door and Conservatory Markets in Housing in Great Britain, (October 2016) the market for replacement conservatory roofs was up 62% in 2015 to 11,200 installations and is forecast for continuing growth through to 2020.

He also forecast continuing if steady growth in the composite door market, which he said would increase to around 850,000 door sets per annum in the next three years.

But while citing sizeable areas of growth, he tempered forecasts with predictions of continuing challenge.

Alongside the shift to tougher second-time replacement sells, Palmer said that the long-term decline in homeownership was also driving a long-term change in the market.

This according to figures has dropped from a peak of 14.8million in 2005 to below 14.3million last year. Conversely the private rental sector was up from around 2million properties in 2005 to 4.5million.

“The private rental market tends to be again, that little bit tougher and price driven. There are however incentives – or perhaps more accurately disincentives for not doing so – to improve the energy efficiency of their properties.

“MEES or Minimum Energy Efficiency standards give landlords just a year to bring the energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of their properties to no lower than E for new tenants and to all existing tenancies from 01 April 2020”, said Palmer.

He concluded: “Brexit is clearly also an influence. What that influence will be right now is very difficult to predict as we know so very little about its potential shape.

“Regardless of this, however, message is that the market as always never stands still and that product innovation but also end-user expectation, coupled with the impact of legislation, is reshaping how the industry does and will need to do business.”

For more information log on at www.palmermarketresearch.co.uk email info@palmermarketresearch.co.uk or call 020 83908131.

Offering significantly reduced manufacturing times, Passive Haus equivalent standard thermal efficiency and modular aluskin aluminium external cladding options, aluplast’s new Lift-and-Slide was at the forefront of a new generation of PVC-U products on show at FIT 2017.

Reporting high levels of interest throughout the show, aluplast unveiled its highly innovative and ultra-thermally efficient new Lift-and-Slide Patio door, at this year’s industry expo.

Capable of spanning openings of 6.5m X 2.8m, the modular 85mm system can accommodate glazing units of up to 51mm to deliver u-values as low as 0.65 W/m²K, meeting Passive Haus standards – a first for the product type.

Also, delivering manufacturing time efficiencies of up to 40% over comparable systems, Ian Cocken, Director of Sales and Marketing, aluplast, said, the new aluplast Lift-and-Slide door, combined a strong architectural aesthetic and advance performance.

“The lift-and-slide mechanism, the u-values that this door can deliver, the flush threshold, it’s weather performance, combined with an exceptional aesthetic, including the aluskin aluminium option, gives the Lift-and-Slide incredible reach”, he said.

“There has been a definite shift within the market to premium products. The Lift-and-Slide can be manufactured highly efficiently. As a modular system, stock holding is kept to a minimum, while it can also be sold as either a standard or with a foiled or aluminium external finish.

“This gives the aluplast Lift-and-Slide huge market potential, something which I believe anyone who came to our standard during the show recognised immediately.”

aluskin is is aluplast’s proven external aluminium facing technology.  It uses an innovative ‘click-and-fix’ system to allow PVC-U fabricators to manufacture an aluminium-clad PVC-U casement window without the requirement for specialist equipment – opening-up access to new market sectors.

In addition to the aluplast Lift-and-Slide door, aluskin is also available on aluplast’s new Ideal 4000 casement window, which also showcased for the first time at this year’s expo.

The leading-edge 70mm PVC-U system is defined by a contemporary ‘SquareLine’ profile and the flexibility that it delivers, as a fully integrated product offering including the aluskin aluminium external finishing option.

Part Q approved, and achieving a WER A rating in either its’ standard PVC-U, foiled or aluskin forms, Cocken said that Ideal 4000 had extensive reach across residential and commercial markets.

He said: “The growing volume of foiled product installed in the UK is indicative of a shift to premium product offerings. Our new Ideal 4000 system is a high-performance PVC-U casement in its own-right, delivering a strong contemporary and urban aesthetic.

“But like the Lift-and-Slide, the Ideal 4000 also delivers scope to build on this core offering, through foils and through aluskin to meet the growing value the end user is placing on design and aesthetics.”,

Ideal 4000 is launched in addition to aluplast’s core offer – the Ideal 70 system. With a choice of 24mm to 40mm glazing options, the slim line ovolo profile, easily accommodates triple-glazed systems, with triple-glazed options achieving a low U-Value with standard components. This allows it to comfortably achieve a WERs A⁺⁺ rating.

With a substantial stand at this year’s show and with continuing investment in its UK distribution centre, customer service and technical support teams, aluplast continues to grow its presence in the UK.

Cocken said: “What the FIT Show has been about for us, has been showing UK fabricators and installers how much we’re investing in new product innovation and what that’s bringing to the UK fabrication and retail sector.

“Our customers can access global leading innovation at what is a very competitive price point. Again, that wasn’t lost on visitors to the stand this year. This is something which provides us with a real springboard for our continuing growth and increasing market share this year.”

For more information please call 01684 273401 email info@aluplast.co.uk  or visit www.aluplast.co.uk.

With the first successful FIT Show at the NEC starting to become a distant memory, Apeer shows no signs of slowing down as they begin preparing for the other eight exhibitions left in their calendar. The Apeer schedule is a particularly hectic one this year thanks to a total of 13 different shows, of which the FIT Show is now another that can be checked off the team’s list.

“We so enjoy exhibiting at the FIT Show and this one definitely didn’t disappoint. Once again it gave us a great platform for our new and existing customers to really engage with our products and provided the team with some fantastic networking opportunities,” said Linda Tomb, Marketing Manager.

“One of our main goals this year was to raise Lumi’s profile as a credible choice for refurbishment projects, as well as being equally suitable for new build applications. We made sure demonstrations of our reglazeable window were available on the stand too to help visitors better visualise the process,” Linda added.

Striking new additions to the award winning Lumi range were also launched at stand K30 including a frameless Lumi French door and a colourful new Lumi front door. Showcasing the unique aesthetics and high quality finish that have become Lumi’s calling card, both additions sat in prime position on the stand alongside the beautiful three pane triple track Lumi Lift & Slide door as it was offered up to Apeer trade customers for the first time.

However, Lumi was not the only brand vying for visitors’ attention as Apeer had also brought a selection from their popular range of composite doors to showcase at the event.

“The stable door has been one of the most well received doors in the collection,” explained Linda. “It offers that popular country chic look that so many homeowners aspire to, but we have developed ours to be double rebated so that it has all the charm of the traditional style but with none of the loss in performance.

“Like all of our doors it has a warp resistant fibreglass and high density polyurethane foam core design, which can then be finished with one of the versatile spray and foil colour combinations that we offer in-house at our Ballymena factory.”

In addition to providing a wealth of colours and finishes under one roof, the Apeer team were also keen to show customers what else they can offer from the in-house team of glass designers, as Director Asa McGillian explained:

“We’re lucky to have a really talented team that produce all of our bespoke glass designs and for the show we wanted to create something special that pushed us to challenge ourselves. Inspired by one of our factory team who moonlights as an extra on the show, we came up with the Game of Thrones design which was great fun and a fantastic talking point for us on the stand.”

Alongside all of the new product developments and intricate glass designs Apeer also had customer support improvements in mind in the lead up to the event. Two glossy new brochures, one each for Lumi and Apeer, plus two fresh new websites were launched to include all of the latest products for both brands and to reaffirm the company’s online presence.

One of the key developments was the overhaul of Apeer’s online Doorbuilder tool which was demonstrated on the stand throughout the show to help customers get to grips with its benefits. Refreshed to incorporate the complete list of Apeer products, including the most recent additions to the Lumi window and door range, the pricing and ordering tool was just one of the ways Apeer have adapted to better help their trade partners succeed.

Asa concluded: “Our trade partner network is still growing so there’s plenty to do and no time for us to relax just yet. We’re already gearing up to see lots more faces at the Surrey Homebuilding and Renovating Show on 1^st and 2^nd July, so for anyone that might have missed us at the NEC, we hope to see you there.”