Vision 2016 – An interview with Matt Underhill, Event Director

In this, the first in a series of exclusive interviews, UK Construction Online speaks to Matt Underhill – Event Director for Vision 2016 – about the two day showcase and the success of last year’s inaugural event.

For the uninitiated, would you be able to provide our readers with an introduction to Vision London? What would you describe as being the core aims and objectives of the event?

Vision is a two day event which takes place at London Olympia on the 7^th and 8^th June. It is visited by architects, specifiers and their clients; which include health, education, retail chains, house builders, local authorities and developers. The event launched last year and was a great success, so this will be our second year. It combines an exhibition of suppliers, a two day seminar programme and networking events. It’s free of charge to attend when you register in advance.

The core aim of the event is to showcase and discuss the latest innovations and developments in architecture, design and the built environment. It is not a general ‘building show’ per se. Rather it is the only event in the UK which is specifically aimed at architects and specifiers; an opportunity for them to come together and find innovative ways and new products to build better buildings. Vision is a meeting point, bringing the architects, specifiers and their clients together with those suppliers who are creating and distributing some of the most innovative products and services on the market today. At the same time our seminar programme enables them to expand their knowledge, develop their skills and discuss the latest ideas in the industry. As we saw from the success of last year’s show, there is a real demand for an event specifically targeted at this market.

Vision London launched last year to great acclaim. In retrospect, how do you feel the event went?

The launch event was a great success. We succeeded in attracting our target audience and the feedback from across the industry was overwhelmingly positive. After so many months of planning, as an organiser the most satisfying part, of course, is seeing full seminar theatres and exhibitors involved in conversations with potential customers. We had very strong visitor numbers and most importantly, our exhibitors – who ranged from large international organisations to start-ups – all felt that the quality of the visitors they met was very high. So we really succeeded in delivering that niche audience. We also had the support of high profile sponsors such as Saint Gobain and Stora Enso, as well as key media partners in the architecture, design and construction industry. I think it’s testament to the success of the event that many of our exhibitors rebooked onsite for 2016, so we will be looking forward to welcoming them back this year.

The educational content was also a big success, and received overwhelming praise from our visitors. In keeping with our raison d’etre it was very specifically targeted at our niche audience of architects and specifiers, which again was reflected in the quality of visitors it attracted. So we’ll be looking to develop that even further this year into an even more impressive seminar programme, which again will be free of charge to attend. So yes, from our perspective the launch show was a real success.

How is Vision London looking to build upon this initial success?

Firstly the exhibition will be larger this year. We have a number of high profile new exhibitors, including Wienerberger, Recticel, Soprema UK and Jacksons Fencing. We also have a number of international pavilions from Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, who will all be bringing several companies to the event; and we’ve developed a very exciting partnership with the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products.

We felt that the educational content was a real success at last year’s event and was a driving force for the show. The theatres were packed with several of the sessions oversubscribed, and so we will be expanding our educational programme further this year in response to demand. We’ll have over 160 speakers this year. Saint Gobain are once again sponsoring our Building Health and Wellness seminar stream and I’m delighted to welcome Marshalls on board as the new sponsor of our Innovation in Architecture and Design seminar stream. We’ve added some new seminar streams such as Smart Buildings and Offsite Construction, and are looking at BIM again in more detail. We’re constantly looking for ways to improve and develop, to create an event that reflects and grows with the needs of the industry.

Vision 2016 takes place at London Olympia on 7^th and 8^th June 2016. REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE VISITOR TICKET.

To enquire about exhibiting, contact Adam Redmayne on 07985 587 634 or adam.redmayne@visionlondon.com.

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