The countdown to P&P LIVE! 2017 has begun and this year the exhibition is moving into a larger hall at the NEC in Birmingham. To celebrate this move P&P editor Melanie Attlesey caught up with some of the show’s longest serving exhibitors to find out their favourite memories of the last 28 shows.
The 2017 show will be the largest ever Printwear & Promotion LIVE! After several years of being hosted in Hall 12, recent expansion has meant the show has outgrown its 30,000sq m capacity and for 2017 has relocated to Hall 20.
At the time of going to press this year’s record amount of stand space has been equalled and the show is well on the way to welcoming more exhibitors than ever before!
Many exhibitors started out as fledgling companies when they first exhibited several decades ago and have since grown and developed along with the show. Result, Beechfield and Your Embroidery Services Ltd are all examples of this.
Growing up
Result first exhibited in 1995 and as managing director, David Sanders-Smith recalls: “It was a very heavy stand which all the Result team helped to assemble and dress. And at the end it all had to be taken down and loaded onto the Result truck. Fortunately the stand was not the big stand we have today.”
Result’s stand in 1995
To demonstrate just how much Result has grown during the last 20 years, when it first exhibited the brand had 14 garment styles and 26 headwear styles and at the time displayed every colour and size on stand. The company had no bespoke brochure until 2000, previously relying on distributors to advertise its range.
Today the company has 180 Result jacket styles, 75 SPIRO sportswear styles, 100 Cap and Winter Essentials products and 12 safety footwear styles.
David adds: “Proving how circular clothing trends are, while much of our performance range evolved out of our original 36 styles, 10 garment styles still exist in the range unchanged from their original pattern specification.”
David credits Printwear & Promotion LIVE! with being instrumental in getting Result known as the first stock jacket brand. He adds: “In 1995 Result was still in the pioneering stages of the huge business that exists today. We were the only stand in 1995 offering jackets from stock. At recent shows there have been at least 20 doing the same, but it was nice to be the first. P&P LIVE! is now up to the world standards that are followed by other shows in Europe.”
Another company choosing to exhibit for the first time in 1995 was Beechfield. This was a momentous occasion for the brand as it introduced Beechfield to the industry and led to further exposure as, the following year, the company exhibited for the first time in Europe.
Beechfield’s stand in 1995
Roger McHugh, managing director, explains that 20 years ago he had the pleasure of conversing with numerous visitors, many of whom were running their own printing and embroidery businesses. “The children of the visitors to our stand in the early days have since joined the family business and are now themselves regular visitors to our stand, demonstrating their own entrepreneurial flair.
“Visitors are also now more retail focused and have a bigger appetite in terms of their hunger for our fashion led products and the rich decoration opportunities available,” he says.
Over the years Beechfield has helped visitors get a grasp of different decoration techniques with the introduction of the Bag Decoration Advice Stand in 2014. Headwear advice followed in 2015. Although Beechfield is not involved in the decoration of products, it simply offers technical assistance and advice to educate visitors. This stand has been very well received during the last three years and is making a return in 2017.
Roger also points out that during the 20 years Beechfield has been exhibiting that some fashion trends have come and gone, while others have remained constant big sellers. Take for example Beechfield’s Original 5-Panel Cap (B10) featured in the brand’s first-ever catalogue. It is, to this day, a top selling product and a great promotional piece. Roger states: “It has been imitated but never bettered.”
Roger also notes the re-emergence of past retails trends. Vintage styles are very much at the forefront of fashion. A spokesman for Beechfield’s product development team adds: “The resurgence of the timeless classics means that we are now referring to our own heritage for inspiration.” The same can be said for many brands seen at the show in 2017.
Looking back to Beechfield’s first stand in 1995, Roger points out that it is now at the height of fashion with the re-emergence of its heritage roots into modern day trends. Roger adds: “Who knows, maybe our present day stands will be leading the way in the fashion stakes in 20 years’ time.”
Firsts for the show
The following year saw Your Embroidery Services Ltd exhibit for the first time. YES Ltd was in its infancy in 1996 and its first stand was a basic shell scheme, not like the elaborately designed stand it utilises now. The stand was full of sundry items and devices and was nicknamed Aladdin’s Cave – a name which stuck around for quite a few years.
YES Ltd celebrating its 20th anniversary
In 1997 YES Ltd exhibited with SWF for the first time, which was also the same year the company’s embroidery machines were shown in the UK for the first time. SWF had been looking for a UK and Ireland distributor for some time and after numerous meetings, the company decided that YES Ltd was the one. This marked the start of a long and successful relationship for the two companies. Another standout year for the company came in 2003 when it showed SWF Dual Function machines for the first time. Roy Burton, managing director, says: “This was a major breakthrough for the industry. Embroiderers had wanted more flexibility with machines for years and the dual function gave them just that. As with many of our new products these were seen for the first time at P&P LIVE!”
Fast forward to 2005 and another new brand was shown at the show for the first time. According to Roy, DTG Digital’s machines were set to change the face of direct to garment printing. He adds: “At first matching the design specs of other machines in the industry, the developers soon established a bespoke machine designed and developed for this specific purpose. Since then it has grown to be one of the most popular worldwide brands.”
Another first came in 2007 when YES Ltd showed a new model of the SWF Dual Function embroidery machine. This new model was the first multi-head embroidery machine to reach true high speeds.
And finally, as with most companies marking a significant anniversary at the show is part and parcel of exhibiting. In 2015 YES Ltd celebrated its 20th anniversary in transatlantic style. Staff dressed as flight attendants and throughout the three days of the show visitors had the opportunity to win all kinds of prizes, including free flights around the world.
At the 2016 show it was the turn of long-term exhibitor PenCarrie to celebrate its birthday – this time marking 25 years of garment distribution. As true supporters of the show, founder of the company Paul Persey says: “P&P LIVE! has always been a mainstay of the industry, and with the show we have all grown up together.”
Injecting some fun
Many exhibitors realise that the show is much more than about just displaying products on a stand. Year after year exhibitors take the opportunity to have a little fun at the show and demonstrate a lighter side to life.
BTC activewear’s London2012 theme in 2012
BTC activewear over the years has had many fun themes on stand. Everything from Hollywood to Hogwarts and Rock Theatre to London2012, the three-day show has seen many iconic characters walking the aisles – from Marilyn Monroe to Ozzy Osbourne and Keith Lemon to Hagrid.
Along with all the companies mentioned above, BTC activewear will be back in 2017.
But what can visitors look forward to next year?
Well, the informative and diverse seminar programme will be making a return, so stay tuned for details on what topics you can expect to gain an insight into. The popular three-times daily fashion show will also take centre stage once again. Leading brands will take to the catwalk to showcase their latest on-trend printwear styles. Also returning is the Screen Print Workshop. This was a new feature at P&P LIVE! 2016 and due to its runaway success will feature once again at the show.
As well as the educational side of things, visitors can also look forward to seeing a whole host of new exhibitors showcasing their latest garments and machinery, as well as the well-established regulars.
Printwear & Promotion LIVE! is recognised throughout the industry as the place to keep up to date with new printwear styles, to witness innovate equipment launches and to speak with industry experts.
This year the show will take place in Hall 20 at the NEC in Birmingham from Sunday, February 26 to Tuesday, February 28. We look forward to seeing you there.
