This year’s Healthcare Estates conference and exhibition was attended by 2,758 visitors, delegates, and exhibitor personnel, continuing the increases in attendance seen since the move to Manchester.
The organisers of Healthcare Estates 2012 – IHEEM, Step Exhibitions, and i2i – say that, overall, this year’s flagship annual IHEEM event had the highest attendance in the show’s history.
Delegate numbers continued to grow, with nearly 350 individuals attending the IHEEM conference; total attendee numbers, with speakers and VIP guests added, rose to 429. Conference attendance was up by 15%, with many of the delegates registered for both days, which resulted in a greater footfall on day two of the exhibition. The increased attendance is, the organisers claim, ‘continued testament to the decision to take the event to Manchester’. “Last year resulted in a healthy increase in attendance, which continued this year, and the feedback from both exhibitors and visitors has been extremely positive,” commented Steve Webb, exhibition director. “Since the 2010 event we have worked hard to deliver a key audience to the sector’s leading healthcare event. This year saw more key decision-makers attend, with a good growth in attendance.” The combined attendance – speakers, delegates, exhibitor guests, VIPs, and stand personnel – saw 2,500 attendees fill the exhibition floor, who, along with delegates, networked with exhibitors and visitors to discuss and see the new ideas and developments available to them.
Cutting the cost of attending
Steve Webb, said: “We worked hard this year on ‘converting’ our pre-registered visitors to make sure they took time out to come along to the show. A dedicated ‘VIP scheme’ saw a big increase in the number of dedicated healthcare professionals attending, with a 61% increase in VIP attendance on last year. We also addressed the issue of the costs faced by visitors. Qualifying ‘VIP’ visitors were given complimentary parking on site, and a dedicated VIP area, where they could meet exhibitors and discuss issues in private. Many visitors thanked us for the service, and would like something similar next year. “With over 30 hours of free showcase presentations, 180 exhibiting companies representing many of the leading names serving the sector, and the IHEEM conference, Healthcare Estates is an important event for those involved with specifying, running, and maintaining healthcare facilities. “Our job,” Steve Webb continued, “is to make the exhibition as compelling and interesting as possible. Creating the right mix of visitors and exhibitors, and providing useful content, is how we achieved this.” New features this year included presentations by The National Association of Healthcare Fire Officers, which ran a packed afternoon of presentations looking at fire risk assessments, reducing false alarms in fire detection systems, and integrating fire detection into building management systems. The sessions were attended by over 100 visitors to the show, and the show organisers, working with fire protection specialist, BAFE, hailed the collaboration a success. Also new was a Design In Mental Health Network workshop, which attracted over 170 guests to hear presentations about medical architecture, and find out more about a ‘better bedroom for mental health’ by Laing O’Rourke. Other presentations were given by Wood Design Studio & UCLAN, and HAFS and NWdesign.
Special tour
Following the interest in these sessions, which were complemented by a tour of the stands of nearly 30 exhibitors promoting products relevant to the mental health sector, the organisers, Step Exhibitions, announced a new collaboration with the Design In Mental Health Network for a dedicated conference and exhibition in May 2013. The new event will link those who design, construct, and manage, mental healthcare facilities with their end-users – the service users, staff, and community. Steve Webb explained: “For the various ‘stakeholders’ in mental health, understanding each others’ needs is the key to designing innovative, efficient, and cost-effective solutions. The mental healthcare sector will come together at the event to discover how to drive up quality for more positive outcomes, with a clear focus on recovery.” More details are available at www.designinmentalhealth.com “Response to early research on this year’s Healthcare Estates exhibition and conference suggests that the mix of content and leading companies provides a compelling mix for visitors,” said Steve Webb. “Plans are already in place for a new section devoted to ‘energy and carbon reduction’ in 2013. Early visitor response suggests that this is a key area of concern for the estates community, and one where there is considerable potential cost-saving opportunity.” Next year’s Healthcare Estates will take place from 8-9 October, 2013, at Manchester Central (GMEX). Visit www.healthcare-estates.com for more details.
