Glass News Interview: FIT Show

IT’S EVERYONE’S SHOW. NICKIE WEST GIVES AN INSIGHT INTO THE PLANNING FOR THE FIT SHOW 2021

The FIT Show’s Nickie West talks to Glass News’ Editor, Chris Champion, about FIT 2021. Has the government’s recent announcements on restrictions and local lockdowns changed any of the plans for next year’s show? It may well be the first opportunity for our industry to meet, face to face, for over a year, so how important is it both for exhibitors and visitors?

Will the timing in May 2021 prove to be ideal as opposed to it being now, when everyone in the industry is busy with the business and economic recovery? Perhaps the timing will mean that installers and other buyers will have the time to visit the show - and what will they find? More exhibitors? More products? Find out Nickie’s thoughts on whether size really matters! There was interest from overseas at FIT 2019 with new exhibitors from a number of countries. Is that likely to happen again or, indeed, has that interest from overseas increased for the 2021 Show and is Brexit having an influence? Is the UK viewed as an opportunity? Nickie has strong beliefs about what FIT 2021 should be to the industry and it is worth listening to her thoughts on why installers will find the exhibition more important than ever. Perhaps it is less about the products themselves and more about which suppliers are both financially and logistically able to do business. The vast number of new products that have materialised over the past year have had little opportunity to be showcased and FIT promises to give installers and buyers, generally, a huge range to choose from. What better way than to see the full range of the industry’s wares, in one day, as opposed to taking an age in trawling the internet for that information! From its origins as a window and door exhibition FIT has become so much more. Visit Glass is an innovation that will be warmly welcomed with its accent on the all-important glass processing. And with more and more working from home, the focus on outdoor living, home offices, decking, roofline products and more widens the potential of products that installers can offer to their customers – those who are making even more use of the homes and gardens in these troubled times.

And what happens if we’re still in the clutches of Covid next year? What happens to FIT? You need to hear how Nickie and her team are working towards making FIT 2021 different yet even more effective than ever before. And that’s effective for the whole supply chain.

I couldn’t resist asking if going ‘virtual’ was a fall back solution for FIT, and you really need to listen to Nickie’s take on virtual shows! Nickie West’s interview is illuminating and honest and her team’s efforts promise to make FIT 2021 a must for our whole industry.

“You need to hear how Nickie and her team are working towards making FIT 2021 different yet even more effective than ever before. And that’s effective for the whole supply chain.”