Exhibitions may be on the decline, but trade fairs are flourishing and SIV Conferencing & Events met up with clients and organisers of the North's best computer fair, RedRat Computers Fairs (RRCF) to find out why.

RRCF host their event at Don Valley Sheffield every month and it has been running for the last 6 years.  Why is it so successful?

Shopping habits have changed and people are looking to save money. The high street is suffering because they can't compete with online prices but at the same time people like advice and face to face service when they make an IT related purchase. We're cheaper than the high street and we offer free advice and a friendly service.

We also appeal to suppliers because having a stand at our show for day can often generate more revenue than what could be achieved in a week in an independent shop.

For big exhibitions, exhibitors often report a lack of support from the event organisers.  How do you build and sustain relationships with your exhibitors?

We don't just sell stands and hope they get on with it, we are strict about who can sell at our event and we control this by carrying out a lot of background checks and by contact trading standards regularly to ensure all products on sale are legitimate.

We have built up a great rapport with all the traders and we offer advice and guidance whenever they need.  They can contact us personally at any time of day.


How do you see the event changing over the next few years?

We hope that the fair continues to get bigger and better, and thanks to the credit crunch our attendance figures are increasing.


What is your biggest achievement with the fair?

When we took over the management of the show 6 years ago it was really struggling to make any money and it had been cut from a two day event to just the one day which lost us a lot of suppliers.  Since then, we have steadily built up the footfall and suppliers again and have made the show really successful. 

Click here to find out about the next RedRat Computer Fair at Don Valley Stadium Sheffield and make sure you're not missing out on a bargain; and visit the RedRat Computer Fair website to find out how to get a special discount on admission.


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