Acknowledged as the best to date at its new Midlands base, the 20th anniversary SPATEX signalled a return to the good times for the combined water leisure sectors. Welcoming 1,426 unique visitors and with well over 120 high quality companies exhibiting, the event delivered on multiple fronts. For three days the Jaguar Exhibition Hall at Coventryâs Ricoh Arena was a busy hub of activity, offering up the latest products and innovations from some of the UKâs leading pool and spa suppliers.
SPATEX organiser, Michele Bridle commented: âWe pulled out all the stops to celebrate our 20th anniversary and the Industry handsomely rewarded us with exhibitor space sold out some two months early, but the visitor numbers exceeded even our expectations.â
Visitors to the show represented a wide cross section of disciplines and facilities, including leisure centres, hotels, councils, schools, holiday parks, spas, animal hydrotherapy pools. Pools and accessories was the main attraction for 80 per cent of the visitors, and almost 3 per cent of non-trade visitors were looking to purchase pool, spa or sauna at SPATEX. The comprehensive double seminar programme was well-attended over the three days and offered visitors a chance to update their professional skill for free and gain valuable CPD points. 450 delegates attended seminars hosted by ISPE, up six per cent on SPATEX 2015 attendance.
Jenny Lunn of Brenntag commented: âThe leads were of a much higher quality this year. We have had numerous enquiries for our Heatsavr product, including one from a garden design company. It seems there is a genuine growing concern and interest in green issues which attracted many visitors to our stand. All in all, an excellent show for Brenntag.â Richard Carrington of Calorex Heat Pumps concurred: âFootprint was well up on last year with many more international visitors and there was a marked improvement in the standard of this yearâs stands, Calorexâs naturally being one of them! It was also great to see many people with specific projects to discuss and there was a real buzz in the room about the opportunities for 2016.â
Building on the success of this yearâs show plans are already underway for SPATEX 2017, which will return to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry from Tuesday January 31 to Thursday February 2, 2017. Michele Bridle comments: âFar from resting on our laurels, it is onwards and upwards for SPATEX. âThis year has proved to be a fantastic platform upon which to build SPATEX 2017, which we are planning to make even bigger and better. Watch this space for news of our landmark 21st.â.
GOT IT COVERED
The Ocea stand was a hotspot for visitors looking for advice and guidance on swimming pool covers. On display was Oceaâs range of bespoke slatted cover systems, suitable for all types of pool builds. Alan Thorne of Ocea UK said: âWe had a very positive show and felt that having a stand at the Ricoh helped us promote the right image for our customers. âOur main goals were to find a focus for our products and brand in the UK market and we felt we made good progress at SPATEX.â
Ocea Tel. 01993 707910 www.ocea.be
FIRST FOR WELLNESS
The 20th anniversary trade show was the fourth year that Alpha Wellness Sensations had exhibited its range of saunas and wellness options at SPATEX. âThe UK industry data shows an increasing interest for saunas and steam rooms and we have to be there to meet the demand,â commented Sorina Voitikovski of Alpha Wellness Sensations. âOur 2016 stand generated lots of interest and the number of enquiries are the proof of our cachet. âWe displayed a panoramic sauna and steam room with cantilevered benches for a minimalistic look. Our patented body contoured infrared heaters were the eye-catcher of the show.â
Alpha Wellness Sensations Tel. +32 11 301 380 www.alpha-wellness-sensations.be
ROARING SUCCESS
SPATEX 2016 was a roaring success for hot tub accessory company Aqua Spa Suppliesâ, as Graham Message explains: âOur interactive stand was the perfect place to showcase some of our new products, like our Aqua Step and the End 2 End swim spa cover, but the stand also allowed us to demonstrate our very popular suction wine cooler and many of our pool and spa vacuums for example. âThe show was incredibly busy with the right type of visitor for us and the high volume of spa retailers gave us the opportunity to sign up a large amount of new customers.â
Aqua Spa Supplies Tel. 01245 477 400 www.aquaspasupplies.co.uk
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
You couldnât miss the balloons and decorations on the AquaFinesse stand, as the team celebrated its 10th SPATEX anniversary at this yearâs show. âSPATEX 2016 was hugely successful for us as we had the opportunity to welcome many new dealers and catch up with our existing ones. Our order books are full and that always puts a smile on my face,â says Sally Koob of AquaFinesse. âWe were promoting our environmentally-friendly water treatments for pools and spas as well as our filter cleaning fizz tablets and the award-winning deep clean tablet Spa Clean.â
AquaFinesse UK Tel. 01348 841116 www.aquafinesse.com
GOOD TIMES AHEAD
Coast Spas exhibited at SPATEX 2016 with the aim of showcasing its range of premium models to potential new UK dealers. Mark Anthony of Coast Spas UK comments: âThe quality of dealer enquiries was a highlight of the show for us, and getting feedback that our current dealers have had a successful start to the year. The response was amazing. âThe show was a great platform for us to introduce ourselves to new dealers and demonstrate the turnkey business model that we offer, including advice on how to display, sell, fix and service.â
Coast Spas UK Tel. 01827 897000 www.coasthottub.co.uk
RAY OF SUNSHINE
First time exhibitors Cyrano Limited were new to the SPATEX scene but enjoyed a successful few days at the show exhibiting the Hapro Topaz unit. âSunlight is a vital component of oneâs own wellbeing. Controlled exposure to our sunâs rays has a positive effect on our bodies; it boosts our immune systems and Vitamin D levels,â says Simon Adlington of Cyrano. âThe Hapro Topaz is rapidly becoming one of the most popular general well-being and home tanning products. The Topaz itself is very compact, without losing out on comfort, making it perfect for home use.â
Cyrano Limited Tel. 01376 329833 www.cyranoltd.com
INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS
The creators of some of the most innovative water quality testing solutions, ITS Europe had a range of products on display, including the latest eXact iDipÂź Photometer Systemâą. Dave Howard of ITS Europe said: âAnother fantastic show for us at SPATEX – it never fails to deliver for us. Bringing a new and innovative product to the market is never easy but it does seem that SPATEX attracts the right visitors looking for the next big product. âOur iDip photometer sales have visibly increased after the show which is fantastic but itâs also great to catch up and trade ideas with our friends within the pool and spa industry.â
ITS Europe Tel. 01722 717911 www.itseurope.co.uk
EXTENSIVE RANGE
The Lighthouse Pools team was on hand to demonstrate its latest product ranges, including Zodiac Pool Care at SPATEX 2016. A highlight of the extensive display was the ZS500 heat pump, which has continued to see great success, being the first truly variable speed heat pump on the market. Lighthouse Pools has also recently expanded its automatic cleaner range to incorporate the full array of Zodiac suction cleaners, in particular the MX8 PRO which is exclusively available through Lighthouse Pools and comes with a free Cyclonic Leaf Catcher which gives it extra cleaning capacity over standard suction cleaners.
Lighthouse Pools Tel. 01752 253525 www.lighthousepools.co.uk
REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY
Total Pool Filtration has teamed up with the Danish Company Provital to market their ceramic microfiltration system in UK, which was the primary focus of the companyâs visit to SPATEX. âAs this technology is new to the UK pool market, our primary objectives were to promote it to the industry and make people aware of its benefits over other traditional methods such as sand and glass,â said Stephen Carder, managing director of Total Pool Filtration. âWe were very happy with how the show went and we were really pleased with the amount of enthusiasm and interest shown in the system.â
Total Pool Filtration Tel. 01829 740290 www.totalpool.co.uk
RESOUNDING SUCCESS
The team from Suntrap Systems enjoyed a successful few days at SPATEX and is already looking forward to 2017, as Janet Cornthwaite explains: âSuntrap Systems thought the show was a resounding success with some very interesting and serious enquiries we are progressing. âWe were exhibiting two Pool Access Lifts as well as one of our super-efficient Swimsuit Dryers. Our main goal was to further promote our company and the services we offer throughout the swimming pool industry.â
Suntrap Systems Tel. 0121 428 1155 www.suntrap-systems.co.uk
DEBUT APPEARANCE
Making its debut at SPATEX 2016, Stage Systems used the exhibition as a springboard to introduce the Pool-dek system to pool specialists and end users. âAs part of our product development the system is now offered in two different options, a âflushâ system and an âoversailâ system together with a range of finishes which are both practical and elegant, depending on requirements, using this to achieve an individual bespoke solution,â explains Ian Watson of Stage Systems. âThe highlight of the show was meeting potential end users of the system and discussing how Pool-dek could benefit them.â
Pool-dek Tel. 01509 611 021 www.pooldek.co.uk
