Tell me something new

Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell considers the various elements of the FIT Show that will attract visitors to the NEC next month.

With less than six weeks to go, the FIT Show has unveiled its seminar programme, which looks pretty attractive in its own right.

There have been a number of standalone events over the past decade or so, which have successfully navigated the seminar format. I’m thinking of last year’s Glazing Summit, Edgetech’s Journey to C and The Triple Glazing Question, the On The Couch sessions, and many others.

I think the draw of three halls of exhibitors should be enough to whet any visitor’s appetite, but a chance to come away having learned something useful will likely tip the balance for those still scratching their chins.

This year, we also have a dedicated glass show running alongside the main FIT Show event, and the organisers have announced how the lineup has grown considerably in recent months to include the likes of Lisec, GGR Group, Flat Glass Solutions, Edgetech and Saint-Gobain.

“Visitors can expect an impressive display of the latest processing machinery, products and equipment,” organisers said.

Furthermore, experts from a number of Visit Glass’s exhibiting brands are scheduled to deliver key notes as part of the main FIT Show seminar programme. Topics that will be covered include: the evolution of glass; flat glass technology; automation; pushing the boundaries of glass design to meet creative trends in large scale commercial architecture; and the comfort and health benefits of glass.

Flat Glass Solutions’ managing director David Cahill said: “It’s such a long time since we had a glass show in the UK, I’m excited to see how the glass industry responds to Visit Glass.”
If preregistration figures are anything to go by, then the FIT Show/Visit Glass is already proving popular. As well as registration being significantly higher than the same period in previous campaigns, 45% of those registered for FIT Show 2019 have a turnover of over £1 million, with more than half of those registered being C-suite decision makers or higher.

Finally, it is with great sadness that we learned this week of the passing of Jon Glenister, one of the founders of Windows Active Magazine.

He was a genuinely nice man and all of us at Glass Times will miss him. You can read more here.