Event Industry News

THE SHOWMAN’S SHOW 2009 – 25 years on

Although it is 25 years since the first show was staged, the 2009 event on October 21st & 22nd at Newbury will only be the 24th Show so we shall have to wait until 2010 for the great celebration!

In 1984, following 16 years of successfully publishing the annual Showman’s Directory, Stephen & Jean Lance organised an event they called ‘The Showman’s Directory Comes to Life’ at the Newark Showground; there were no more than 80 exhibitors and around 750 visitors attended. The Show grew and quickly became known as ‘The Showman’s Show’. Initially it was held biennially and at different venues around the country but thanks, in part, to the general and rapid expansion of the Event Industry, in 1993 the show settled to become an established and annual event held at the Newbury Showground.

One of the greatest attributes of this event is that it offers unrestricted scope in the way exhibitors are able promote themselves; huge stages, screens and multi-level structures can be erected, roadway laid and entertainment performed in an environment in which they are likely to be used; the sky is the limit!

From its small beginnings in 1984 The Showman’s Show has evolved to become an event that attracts over 350 exhibitors and in excess of 4,500 visitors over two days and shows no signs of slowing down 25 years from its conception. Each year suppliers apply for space as they realise that this is an exhibition that they should attend in order to secure new leads into the events market. A visitor need not look further to ensure their event’s success; it provides a stimulating and buzzy one-stop-shop for organisers of events large or small.

With the foundations firmly in place, The Showman’s Show is set to be here for the next twenty-five years.