Edgbaston has hosted its largest exhibition since 2019 as the events sector continues to rally in the post-pandemic era.
The Housing Digital Live expo and conference at Edgbaston (7-8 Feb) was the biggest of its kind at the stadium since lockdown.
The event attracted up to 400 visitors and saw 35 exhibitors promoting the latest housing innovations in the Exhibition Hall, plus talks and workshops across the stadium, and rounded off with an awards dinner.
Last year saw a total of 680 events staged at the iconic stadium and delegate numbers were up by more than 13,000 which represents a 29 per cent increase.
Edgbaston’s Head of Conference and Events, Angela Sanders, said: “The events sector has been one of the last to recover from Covid. Exhibitors had low confidence about footfall numbers as the industry came out of lockdown.
“It’s given everyone a huge boost knowing that the exhibition business is back to where it was pre-pandemic and we can get back to what we do best.
“The Housing Digital Live event is a real indication that we’re back on track and the future looks positive for our range of C&E offerings plus that of the wider events sector.”
Edgbaston is one of the region’s leading events destinations for everything from parties to corporate entertainment and exhibitions. Private health care, construction and education are the three leading sectors in Edgbaston’s events portfolio.
Its 2023 party season – with a Christmas Masquerade Ball theme – proved to be one of the venue’s best ever with numbers up year-on-year and returning an average visitor feedback score of 8.6 out of 10 for overall experience.
“Our post-event surveys showed that 87 per cent of attendees to the Christmas Ball would like to return in 2024,” added Sanders. “That’s amazing and a real boost for all our staff who worked long and hard to put on a great experience.
“Having a portfolio that ranges from fun Christmas parties like this to professional corporate events, and everything in between, is really helping us drive business forward.
“In 2022 exhibitions accounted for five per cent of our total revenue. The forecast for 2024 is 19 per cent so we’re confident the sector is over the worst of the Covid hangover and moving to a brighter future.”
Joe Broun, Managing Director of Housing Digital, added: “It was a pleasure working with the events team at Edgbaston Events. From the initial planning stages to the execution of the event, their professionalism and attention to detail were evident every step of the way.”
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