Member Article

Leading national merchandise exhibition signs three-year deal with Coventry Building Society Arena

The leading national exhibition for the promotional merchandise market has signed a deal to see it return to Coventry Building Society Arena for three additional years.

Merchandise World is held annually in January and has committed the future of its New Year event to the leading Coventry exhibition, conference and event venue until 2026. The invitation-only event which targets sales and administration teams, management and directors from professional distributor companies across the UK and Ireland, welcomed more than 1,400 visitors over two days this year and saw visitor numbers return to pre-pandemic levels.

Merchandise World is a jointly owned venture between the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) and Sourcing City. As a result of its direct association with the BPMA, it is the leading event for the promotional merchandise sector.

The event attracts delegates and exhibitors from across the UK and Europe. The show was first held at Coventry Building Society Arena in 2020 and Ella Long, Event Organiser of Merchandise World, said she was excited by plans for future investment in the venue. “We’re pleased to have committed to a further three years at Coventry Building Society Arena,” said Ella Long

“We have hosted three shows at the venue since moving our New Year show there in 2020 and it has been perfect for us. We have seen a real appetite for people to attend the show in Coventry because the location is perfect and it is so easy to get to.

“We are constantly impressed with the professional approach from the staff, and from sales and operations to catering and security - the venue has been brilliant to deal with. “In addition to the exhibition halls, we take advantage of more than 60 hotel bedrooms during the two days we are on site. We’re excited about the future plans for investment in the arena under its new ownership and how those plans can support our show in the future. “Our event has bounced back well from the disruption of the pandemic and we are now targeting steady growth to continue to improve and expand what Merchandise World can offer to the promotional merchandise sector.” Jenni Ford, Director of Sales and Marketing at Coventry Building Society Arena, said: “We have developed a great working relationship with the organisers of Merchandise World since they first hosted their event with us three years ago.

“It is a great vote of confidence for an event of this scale to commit to our venue for a further three years. It is set to be an exciting period for our venue with continued investment to improve our already market-leading facilities and we’re delighted that Merchandise World will be a part of that journey.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .