Testimonials from the 2011 exhibition
The launch of Retail Business Technology Expo and Cards & Payments Solutions saw visitors and suppliers flock to Earl’s Court in impressive numbers for the show’s first year.
Below are some of the testimonials we have had from our visitors and exhibitors.
VISITOR TESTIMONIALS
“Myself and my colleague enjoyed the show very much. We achieved exactly what we set out to achieve and we got some great ideas from some of the exhibitors at the show. We now have some potential new partners to work with this year and some new business propositions in the pipeline, so all in all a very successful expo for our company. The layout of the stands was good and it was relatively easy to find the companies that interested us.”
Robert Brown, EPoS Systems Manager, Clinton Cards
“I enjoyed the show – the day was very worthwhile, and I’m already planning to attend the 2012 event. It was a productive day as I was able to visit Futura (our EPOS provider), Handpoint (who have been working on a hand held solution for us) and Davidson Richards (another EPOS provider we have met before).”
Rupert Frost, IT Director, Frost Gardens Centre
“It’s an opportunity to network as much as see vendors. It’s good to keep up with the latest technology and see how others are exploiting systems. It’s been very useful and it’s good to see it so busy.”
Simon Watson, senior business analyst at Past Times/Whittard
“Sometimes you find it’s the same exhibitors time and time again at shows and I think new companies should be incentivised to exhibit. Certainly it is a lot better here at RBTE than at many other shows. It’s very innovation-led, which is great. It’s also been more informal, which is conducive to networking.”
Jit Gondalia, business development manager for fulfilment at eBay UK
“More than the stands I’ve come to listen to the speakers and there have been some good ones on the programme. I’ve seen three or four and they have been very good so I’m sure I’ll be seeing a few more.”
Steve Waugh, distribution for John Lewis Partnership
“I would highly recommend a visit to the Retail Business Technology Expo. As a Retail IT Professional it was great to have various vendors from all areas together, allowing you to both catch up with existing solutions suppliers as well as have a more informal discussion with potential new suppliers. If visiting, the seminars are well worth taking in. They give a good insight into what is happening in both other retailers and solution vendors.”
Stewart Ross, IT Projects Manager, Scottish Midland Co-operative Society Ltd.
“I came to the show specifically to visit Cards & Payments Solutions but found it really useful to have both events together. The Cards & Payments Solutions Conference was excellent and I had specific aims which were really fulfilled by the Conference and have taken a lot of information back that will really help our business.”
Louise Aldred, Project Director, Fred Perry Ltd
“As a smaller (but growing) retailer it is often through agile IT systems that we can gain some competitive advantage or even ‘keep ourselves in the game’. The issue for the smaller retailer is often that the budgets are not always available for large scale projects and an event like the Retail Technology Expo gives a great indication of where the market is going and what other retailers are trying to achieve. In particular there was a strong focus on the move towards true Multi-Channel services, something that all customers are coming to expect and will certainly demand in increasing numbers in the next few years.
Coupled with a chance to network with other retailers to see what challenges they are facing and how they are overcoming them, I would count my visit to the Expo as having been a very worthwhile exercise and an excellent use of my time.”
Ian Pulsford, Head of IT, The Entertainer
"I found the retail expo to be both informative and useful. The Seminars were informative, and there was a great mix of suppliers showing their latest technology offerings. A great networking event, look forward to the next one."
Conrad Hill, IT Manager, Costcutter Supermarket Group
“I found Retail Business Technology Expo to be time very well spent. I attended four of the seminar presentations and thought them to be both interesting and useful. I will certainly be back next year.”
John Zray, On-Line Delivery Manager, Pizza Hut (UK) Ltd
“Retail Business Technology Expo was a great opportunity to see the latest innovations in technology as well as the perfect setting for networking with retailers. I was able to speak at length with the management team of key suppliers to help them understand the goals of our company.”
Julian Niblett, Head of Operations Development, Boots UK
“The industry needs a major and dedicated technology event. We are delighted that Retail Business Technology Expo has filled this gap. It provided an excellent opportunity to source the very latest innovations and will be looking to the next event.”
Tahir Kara, IS Project Manager, Dixons Retail Plc
“The show allowed us to catch up with existing suppliers and have a good look at potential new suppliers. The team found the seminars informative and well presented. We felt the show organization was well done and we’ll definitely be back in 2012”
Roy McDougal, Head of IT, Greggs Plc
“I found the show insightful and good fun”
Cee Chan, IT Infrastructure Manager, Lush
“I felt the inaugral Retail Technology Expo was extremely well organised, with an impressive array of leading edge suppliers and a long overdue replacement for Retail Solutions, it provided a great networking opportunity to meet past and present colleagues and suppliers in a relaxed environment in which to discuss industry trends and emerging technologies. It was a great technology showcase !
The alignment with the Vendorcom Cards and Payments Solutions was an excellent paring and provided some emotive speakers on many of the current hot topics , particularly PCI and the presentations around retailer involvement and tokenisation giving plenty food for thought.
The date is already in my calendar for next year!”
James Anderton, IT Manager, Beaverbrooks
“The Retail Business Technology Expo was a fantastic opportunity to meet with suppliers and see the latest technology offerings. There was an ideal mix of online and offline solutions. Looking forward to next year’s show”
Elliot Taylor, Ecommerce Manager, Andertons Music
"The event provides visitors access to all of the big names in the retail technology world, and it gives journalists the chance to keep up to date with all the latest developments in a fast-moving sector."
Ben Sillitoe, Editor, Retail Gazette
“Great show! Very helpful and insightful and hope it attracts even more exhibitors next year.”
John Cristal, Founding Partner, Sapphire Direct
"The Retail Business Technology Expo 2011 was excellent, it’s a great place to network, find new providers and learn about the latest Retail technology available to better prepare you. It was also a great opportunity for us to meet suppliers and possible business partners. Thoroughly recommended!”
Zamir Rhemtulla, Director, Pioneer Solutions
“Great show and much to see, made loads of contacts and discussed many aspects of the industry. Very valuable and interesting. Great organisation.”
Duncan Solloway, Associate Director, Barclays Internal Audit - IT, Change & Third Parties
“My colleague and I attended this conference with the outlook of being brought up to speed on what is happening both from a retail perspective and IT perspective. Coming from Australia it was slightly harder to justify than similar events in Melbourne or Sydney.
Then event exceeded our expectations. The seminars were extremely informative and professionally delivered and organised. The exhibitor floor was excellent. The view was to observe from a strategic angle the upcoming technical and retail trends.
However, discussions have already led us to halt a major technical project in order to review the technology in light of what we have learned from the EXPO! This more than alleviates for the 22 hour journey to attend. Overall, a great, enjoyable experience.”
Mr Robert Knyn, Business Systems Manager, Betts Group Pty Lid
“With regard to the Retail Business and Card & Payment Solutions last week, all I can say is - 'Well done on a much needed show!'
Since the Retail Solutions events demise a few years ago there have been no such events in London aimed specifically at Retail Professionals. What I liked about the show last week was the emphasis on Card Payments. This is an area that was previously fairly static but due to the introduction of lots of new technologies, i.e. contactless, it is undergoing a lot of movement at the moment.
The selection of venue was good and there was plenty of opportunity to network on an informal and social basis. Roll on next year’s event!”
Tajinder Lotay, Independent Payments Specialist, Waitrose
"It was great to have a conference that was dedicated purely to cards and payment solutions. The event was well organised with a fantastic range of seminars."
Emma Coulson , Marketing Manager, Polar Moment
“I really enjoyed the show and felt it had the right mix of exhibitors and provided a great opportunity for networking. I have also recommended it to colleagues. Will definitely sign up to attend next year’s event- Keep up the good work!”
Suzanne Richards, Research Executive, SQS Group Limited
“I am really pleased that the Expo has been resurrected. This is a great achievement and I really do hope it goes from strength to strength. Locating it in London was essential to get a good level of interest and involvement and the Earls Court location worked very well, good transport links etc. We made some good contacts and gathered some useful information.
Well done for putting on the show, and I wish it all the best for the future, with a healthy year-on-year growth!”
Steve Heathcote, Head of Commercial Systems Development, Waitrose
“The show was well attended and we were able to meet most of our partners there. There was some good technology on display and people were keen to do business. We consider it time well spent.”
Christopher Parkin, Managing Director, Premier Tax Free UK Ltd
EXHIBITOR TESTIMONIALS
“The whole show has been an immense success and the attendance levels have proven there has been a pent up demand for a technology show. The Legends exhibition guys have delivered on the logistics and it has been a high quality show. It’s been good to work with them in this first year.”
Paul Rodgers, chairman of Vendorcom
“It’s great to see this show as the UK is always the benchmark for retail technology because of the experience here. It should attract people from Europe and further afield. For Microsoft it’s very important and we’ve a number of people here supporting the event. It’s good for the industry and for customers.”
Dilip Popat, global industry director of Retail at Microsoft Business Solutions
"RBTE was a great success for Partner Tech on all levels. The number of enquiries from the show was higher than expected, but the quality of the enquiries exceeded our expectations by a mile. We had a very good spread of existing customers, new potential resellers and high calibre end users visiting our stand, which is exactly what we wanted to get out of exhibiting at RBTE. It was clear to see that the UK was very much overdue a quality and market focused show like this. Taking into account the current economical climate, the doubt over trade shows and the level of investment required to portray the right image, we took a bit of a gamble on RBTE but it has clearly paid off for us already. Thanks to the whole team for the fantastic organisation and service you provided prior, during and after the show!"
Tim Van den Branden, Managing Director, Partner Tech
“We’re really delighted with this event as a first show. We’ve been kept busy on our stand for two days and the quality and volume of leads has been better than expected. There have been some good retailers here so it’s been very pleasing all round. The event has certainly stood up on this year alone so we’re very happy. Let’s hope we get some more big players exhibiting next year.”
Nigel Stephenson, marketing manager at K3 Retail
We found Retail Business Technology Expo to be a huge success, we made some great contacts and were constantly busy. We’re already looking forward to next year”
Sarah Esders, Epos Distributors
“The show is fantastic. For tier two and three retailers, they can’t draw vendors over to them but at this show they can attract the attention of the big vendors. For tier one retailers they come to find out what’s innovative from the smaller vendors. We’ve been very busy and will be back next year for sure.”
Brian Hume, managing director of Martec
“There is a need for a show that’s talking about technology and where it fits into retail. There are lots of issues – with delivery, where stock is, and communications to customers – and all these need technology to improve. Any avenue to get knowledge is helpful and this sort of show helps this and to shape the industry.”
David Smith, managing director of IMRG
“Our visitor numbers exceeded our expectations. We are already generating a return on our investment!”
Alan Holcroft, Retail IT
“There has not been a real exhibition like this in London for some years and people need it for finding new solutions and to network. We believe it’s important for retailers and vendors, and we’re pleased to be here to support it.”
Richard Mader, executive director of ARTS
“We’re pleased with the event as it’s been busy all the time. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be here for the two days but with the number of customers on the stand I’m a happy customer.”
Gareth Wokes, chairman of The Logic Group
“We’ve had some really good interest in our stand with some good leads coming through. We’re pleased we came onboard and we’ll be back next year.”
Paul Rolinson, managing director of POS-LINK
“IT WAS THE BEST EVENT IN 10 YEARS FOR US, YOUR TEAM WERE EXCEPTIONAL.”
Ian Patterson, Managing Director, DigiPoS
“Retail Business Technology Expo was a great success. Congratulations to you and your team for organising such a professional show!”
Karthik Ponnapa, Product Marketing Manager, Manthan Systems
“Retail Business Technology Expo 2011 provided an excellent forum for Star Micronics to demonstrate its latest POS printing solutions. This event fills a void in the UK market for a dedicated retail technology exhibition and the fact that it was particularly well attended by a wide range of retailers, both large and small, is evidence that the event was successfully promoted to the industry. Particularly gratifying was the attendance of Tier 1 Retailers from all aspects of the Industry including supermarkets, department stores, DIY chains as well as high street retailers to name just a few.
With a broad selection of exhibitors covering all aspects of retail technology at an excellent venue, this is certainly an event that Star will exhibit at next year.”
Annette Tarlton, Marketing Director, Star Micronics EMEA
“Retail Business Technology Expo was a great opportunity for RedPrairie to meet with UK retailers who had technology at the forefront of their minds. The show enabled us to share with the community news of our recent acquisition of Escalate Retail, which now allows us to offer an ecommerce platform, complementing our solution for inventory, workforce and transportation management. RBTE was a well executed show that provided the industry with the right platform in which to engage with one another to address key issues. A great two days!”
Natalie Beecroft, UK Marketing Manager, RedPrairie
