10th Edition: The Meetings Show heads down Memory Lane with long-time supporters
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To commemorate the 10th edition of The Meetings Show we catch up with three longstanding exhibitors – NewcastleGateshead, Marketing Liverpool and The Meetings Industry Association to find out some of their personal highlights from the last nine years.
What makes TMS the must-attend show in the annual events calendar?
Paul Szomoru, director of business events, NewcastleGateshead: “We’ve been exhibiting at the Meetings Show since year one. For me it’s the flagship show in the UK. It’s international, yet it’s definitely the place showcasing the best of the UK’s business events offer. The Meetings Show brings together the whole business events community, and there’s a real sense of that community spirit at the show, with events professionals from across the spectrum and always a brilliant educational programme with first class speakers.”
Jennifer Jenson, head of business tourism, Marketing Liverpool: “TMS is like a huge industry reunion! It is the place to catch up with your existing clients, build new business relationships and immerse yourself in everything that is important in the business events world. The team who work on TMS are the most friendly and professional group of people and they deliver a great show year after year.”
Kerrin MacPhie, chief executive, The Meetings Industry Association: “There’s something special about The Meetings Show and the platform it offers to showcase the very best that both the international and UK business meetings and events industry has to offer. In just two days buyers can efficiently connect with a whole host of venues, hotels and destinations and discover the latest innovations, while networking and learning from its first-class education programme.”
What are your personal highlights from the shows over the last nine years?
Paul Szomoru: “Simply that The Meetings show is where we catch up with industry friends, peers and clients, and make new ones.”
Jennifer Jenson: “I am always so proud when we are complimented for the design of our stand which is always bold and bright. It’s designed in-house by my colleague Ian and he does a tremendous job. It’s great when we see people taking photos of our stand! Another stand out moment is when we met Nigel Huddleston MP at the show and he said how important Liverpool has been to the post-pandemic recovery of the UK business events sector because of our contribution in hosting the test events during Covid.”
Kerrin MacPhie: “I can vividly remember the day that I heard the show was being launched. At the time I was working for ACC Liverpool and was keen to be involved from the beginning and offer my industry knowledge and insight as part of its advisory board. Over the last 10 editions, it’s been wonderful to watch not only the show evolve but also the team behind it. It’s continued to remain relevant and moved with the times and it was a fantastic testament to the team that they didn’t shy away during pandemic and still managed to offer the industry a fully virtual event.”
What are you most looking forward to this show?
Paul Szomoru: “Flying the flag for Newcastle, Gateshead and North East England together with our wonderful stand partners; Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, Crowne Plaza Newcastle, Sage Gateshead, Northumbria University, Newcastle United Football Club and ASM Global.”
Jennifer Jenson: “We are looking forward to exhibiting with our partners again and showcasing the very best Liverpool has to offer especially talking about exciting new developments that have taken place over the last few months. We can’t wait to see our existing clients again as well as our industry colleagues.”
Kerrin MacPhie: “In my new role as chief executive of the mia I’m really looking forward to using this year’s show to further connect with our mia members and wider industry peers. It’s certainly been a busy few months since I took the helm in November, so it will be great to continue to share some of the exciting work that’s been going on behind the scenes to benefit our members.”
What makes TMS the must-attend show in the annual events calendar?
Paul Szomoru, director of business events, NewcastleGateshead: “We’ve been exhibiting at the Meetings Show since year one. For me it’s the flagship show in the UK. It’s international, yet it’s definitely the place showcasing the best of the UK’s business events offer. The Meetings Show brings together the whole business events community, and there’s a real sense of that community spirit at the show, with events professionals from across the spectrum and always a brilliant educational programme with first class speakers.”
Jennifer Jenson, head of business tourism, Marketing Liverpool: “TMS is like a huge industry reunion! It is the place to catch up with your existing clients, build new business relationships and immerse yourself in everything that is important in the business events world. The team who work on TMS are the most friendly and professional group of people and they deliver a great show year after year.”
Kerrin MacPhie, chief executive, The Meetings Industry Association: “There’s something special about The Meetings Show and the platform it offers to showcase the very best that both the international and UK business meetings and events industry has to offer. In just two days buyers can efficiently connect with a whole host of venues, hotels and destinations and discover the latest innovations, while networking and learning from its first-class education programme.”
What are your personal highlights from the shows over the last nine years?
Paul Szomoru: “Simply that The Meetings show is where we catch up with industry friends, peers and clients, and make new ones.”
Jennifer Jenson: “I am always so proud when we are complimented for the design of our stand which is always bold and bright. It’s designed in-house by my colleague Ian and he does a tremendous job. It’s great when we see people taking photos of our stand! Another stand out moment is when we met Nigel Huddleston MP at the show and he said how important Liverpool has been to the post-pandemic recovery of the UK business events sector because of our contribution in hosting the test events during Covid.”
Kerrin MacPhie: “I can vividly remember the day that I heard the show was being launched. At the time I was working for ACC Liverpool and was keen to be involved from the beginning and offer my industry knowledge and insight as part of its advisory board. Over the last 10 editions, it’s been wonderful to watch not only the show evolve but also the team behind it. It’s continued to remain relevant and moved with the times and it was a fantastic testament to the team that they didn’t shy away during pandemic and still managed to offer the industry a fully virtual event.”
What are you most looking forward to this show?
Paul Szomoru: “Flying the flag for Newcastle, Gateshead and North East England together with our wonderful stand partners; Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, Crowne Plaza Newcastle, Sage Gateshead, Northumbria University, Newcastle United Football Club and ASM Global.”
Jennifer Jenson: “We are looking forward to exhibiting with our partners again and showcasing the very best Liverpool has to offer especially talking about exciting new developments that have taken place over the last few months. We can’t wait to see our existing clients again as well as our industry colleagues.”
Kerrin MacPhie: “In my new role as chief executive of the mia I’m really looking forward to using this year’s show to further connect with our mia members and wider industry peers. It’s certainly been a busy few months since I took the helm in November, so it will be great to continue to share some of the exciting work that’s been going on behind the scenes to benefit our members.”
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