Flotec celebrates a successful Railtex 2023.
Loughborough-based Flotec, a trusted and leading supplier of reliable hose and engineering solutions to the rail market, reviews what was an incredibly successful Railtex exhibition.
On Tuesday 9th May 2023, Hall 3 of the world-renowned Birmingham NEC opened its doors and welcomed visitors to a three-day special rail industry extravaganza.
SME Flotec resided on stand D11 for the duration of the event, showcasing its latest product innovations to a diverse and engaged mix of delegates.
In this feature, Flotec’s Head of Marketing - Barry Michael Aldridge, delivers an overview of the proceedings.
“Organising and attending events are always an exciting part of my job and I thoroughly enjoy the entire process.
I have arranged and participated in over twenty shows throughout my career, all varying in size and budget. A lot of which, have been held at the Birmingham NEC.
There are certainly many stories for me to tell where thankfully, most have run very smoothly.
However, not all have! I remember some years ago; a colleague and I were building a modular display the night prior to a major facilities management exhibition.
The display unit was an old piece of kit with bits missing and no instructions to hand.
Halfway through the build, we realised we had gone slightly awry and had to dismantle the entire thing and start again!
We even had to hold parts of the stand together with gaffer tape!
There is always an ‘unseen’ element to any given show where an incredible amount of hard work goes into making them a success.
Teamwork is essential in helping make an exhibition go well and to plan.
Railtex 2023 was a triumphant success for Flotec where gratitude and praise must be given to a fantastic team of people who all helped make it such a special occasion.”
Sales Manager – Maria Smith, explaining Flotec’s products and services to a visitor.
“On Monday 8th May, Flotec’s Sales Director – Richard Hodgkinson, generously gave up his Bank Holiday to offer help in setting up.
Attending the show, to demonstrate the products on display and take leads, were Julian Davies, Maria Smith, and Jack Olive.
Kudos to Maria and Jack for staying behind on the Thursday, dismantling and returning all items safely to Flotec’s warehouse.
Of course, it wasn’t just Flotec employee’s who made it happen. A variety of suppliers were involved in the process.
Special thanks to Formkraft and RS Print for the display graphics, promotional items and printed literature which all helped to promote the Flotec brand and its marketing message.
The stand space could not have been completed without the demo equipment, all made possible by supplier engagement and support.”
Managing Director – Julian Davies, demonstrating various features and benefits of the Flotec product portfolio to an engaged and enthused audience.
“As for Flotec’s marketing of Railtex? There was a lively mixture of communication and visuals.
A theme was agreed prior, to create an engaging message. The objective being to entice a relevant and targeted audience to stand D11, where Flotec would be on-hand to demonstrate how the organisation supports train operators in reducing downtime and increasing fleet efficiency.”
Managing Director – Julian Davies, demonstrating the innovative variable pitch fan to prospective clients with the Gates self-assembly machine and portable battery charging unit prominent in the foreground.
“A standardised visual theme and message was deployed across, what I call, multiple marketing channels.
These channels included social media, blogging, email, promotional items, trade press advertisement and printed literature. With the ultimate crescendo being, the stand itself!”
An influx of visitors rushes to stand D11 to discover how Flotec supports train operators to reduce downtime and improve fleet efficiency.
“One of the joys of my job is to witness an event like Railtex all come together!
From the online content through to traditional print with complete exhilaration being felt when the stand is built, graphics and products all in situ.
Marketing projects such as these always feel incredibly personal and hands-on. Most people know that my original training resides in the artisan of graphic design. No outsourcing to external design agencies, for me. All artwork is created by myself, using the very latest Adobe software.”
Flotec proudly displays its products and services on stand D11, Railtex 2023.
“Of course, you cannot help but get a kick when chatting to people at the show and demonstrating how your company can be of service.
The tactical plan for Railtex was to only take relevant leads – quality over quantity.
As a team, we successfully delivered on the plan.”
A plethora of Flotec branded promotional items and literature.
“Prior to Railtex, an idea entered my head, which I simply could not shake!
I thought it would be cool to design and have printed a limited-edition magazine.
Titled Momentum, only 100 copies have been published. When they are gone, they are gone!
Admittedly, Momentum was never intended to provide commercial acumen such as the accompanying product literature but instead, served as a ‘nice aesthetic touch’ to the entire marketing project.”
The variable pitch fan demo unit.
“On display was a working variable pitch fan demo unit, which gained a great deal off attention as it sucked and blew air through its rotating fan blades!
Further products included the Gates self-assembly crimping unit, portable battery charger and a case filled with hoses, clamps, and couplings, including the Flotec white label Railtec hydrostatic hose.
All in all, I feel incredibly proud of the Railtex event and am thankful for everyone’s involvement and contribution in making it a true success.”
Flotec will be attending Rolling Stock Networking and Rail Infrastructure Networking later this year.
ENDS.
Notes to Editors:
Loughborough based Flotec Industrial Limited has been supplying hydraulic and pneumatic solutions to both rail and wider industries since 1995.
For more information, please contact Barry Michael Aldridge FCIM CMktr, Head of Marketing for Flotec Industrial Limited
Flotec Industrial Limited
Pavilion Way, Loughborough LE11 5GW
Tel: 01509 230100
Email: barry@floteconline.com
Website: https://www.flotecindustrial.co.uk
Online Store: https://www.floteconline.com
Comments