Design Show hailed ‘a success’

Last week’s inaugural Design Show is being hailed as a success by design consultancies which exhibited at the three-day event. Some groups have already won work from visitors.

Held at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London, the show attracted around 3300 visitors, including 40 journalists. The number of representatives from client companies is described as impressive by several exhibitors.

Exhibition director Ron Cordeiro of Centaur Exhibitions says: “Everybody is positive. The event will happen again and it will almost certainly grow.”

At least one exhibitor, Tutssels, was given a commission at the show. Glenn Tutssel says: “We had a piece of pharmaceutical packaging work given to us and around six really worthwhile enquiries.”

Another exhibitor, Pile Probert Kelly, also benefited, according to PPK managing director Felicity Kelly: “We got some good leads.”

Client advisory service EDR has secured at least one project from being at the show, says EDR’s Richard Watson.

BBC head of corporate design Tony Key says: “It was a very good first stab. I took note of a number of consultancies I didn’t previously know.

“I was pleased the whole design industry got together and had the confidence to put on a show. It puts a spear in the ground the Department of Trade and Industry should take note of.”

The Identica Partnership’s managing partner Michael Peters says Identica’s stand even had visitors enquiring about exhibition design skills. “I’m very pleased we made the effort. The show signals the start of a renaissance.”