New event for the flat glass industry launched by the FIT Show team

Following increasing demand indicated by visitors to the FIT Show, the organisers have announced the launch of Visit Glass, which will take place alongside the FIT Show in May 2019 at the NEC. Responding to a massive 40% of the 10,000 visitors to the 2017 FIT Show who declared their interest in seeing glass products and glass-related processing equipment and technology at the event, Visit Glass will become the first UK exhibition and forum dedicated to the manufacture, processing and application of flat glass for almost 15 years. The event is designed to appeal to glass industry professionals, together with specifiers and buyers of flat glass products and systems. These include insulated glass units, architectural glass, processed flat glass for all non-glazing applications including kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and the furniture industry; and glass for interiors including offices and decorative interior design schemes.

Prompted by the visitor feedback, the organisers of the FIT show carried out further research into the viability of such an event and were told that professionals operating in the sector would respond positively for something created specifically to address the unique needs of the UK flat glass industry, one that continues to undergo substantial technological and market changes. They also learned that, despite the success of the FIT Show, it did not serve the specific needs of flat glass manufacture, processing and technology. That will now be addressed by the launch of Visit Glass, says Nickie West, for the organisers: “Despite glass being an obvious and essential component of almost everything that is shown at the FIT Show, the glass industry has needs that are quite distinct in almost every respect,” she said. “After analysis of visitor research at the 2017 FIT Show we realised that glass-related topics were some of the highest categories they wanted to see at the show. However, this was not reflected in what they saw there. Visit Glass will address this imbalance through a distinct, separate event alongside the FIT Show.

Visit Glass will take place in its own clearly designated space at the NEC alongside the FIT Show. To ensure an appropriate format for Visit Glass was created, the event was ‘soft launched’, during which time a number of powerful, key brands were quick to reserve exhibition space. These include Pilkington, Saint-Gobain, Edgetech, Lisec, National Glass Group and Sapphire Glass Merchants, with others joining the floorplan as word of the event spreads.