SPATEX, COVENTRY, UK
SHOW PREVIEW
Coventry’s Calling As SPATEX Returns By Jon Wadeson
The industry’s annual show returns to the newly renamed Coventry Building Society Arena and its organisers are pulling out all the stops to make it event to remember. More than just an exhibition, SPATEX is also the UK’s largest networking opportunity for the pool and spa trade. We cover all the news from both the organisers and exhibitors, highlight various products that can be seen, plus take look at the educational opportunities By Jon Wadeson
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fter a pandemic enforced postponement last year which resulted in a digital exhibition, SPATEX returns to the West Midlands from 1 to 3 February to the newly renamed Coventry Building Society Arena. It’s The Big Reunion for many – and will be a chance to celebrate bringing the industry together for the first time in two years plus it’s SPATEX’s 25th silver anniversary too! Despite all the challenges over recent months, the event’s organisers have advised that this is SPATEX’s biggest show to date in terms of exhibition space sold, so the annual event has clearly been missed by the industry! It’s no surprise really as many exhibitors requested larger stands to showcase two years’ worth of products to and industry that has been flying throughout the pandemic. With over 100 participating companies in total and 16 brand new exhibitors, this year’s event features a truly international line-up with exhibitors drawn from ten countries. With this being the first opportunity in 2022 to see a bumper crop of new products – in fact the first opportunity to see a number of wet leisure products up close for some time in the UK – visitors should expect a healthy amount innovation to be on show this year across the various sectors that the show covers. Of course, anyone who has been to a SPATEX over recent years will know that it is
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far from being just a swimming pool show but to reiterate just how much diversity there is, and how hard the team has worked to create as broad an offering as possible, there are 40 spa-associated companies present too – which is pretty impressive and reflects the popularity of what has been a booming hot tub sector over recent years. “In our 25-year history of staging the UK water leisure industry’s live show, this 2022 event is the most unmissable,” said Michele. “Not only because it is our single biggest showcase to date but because reuniting together under one roof helps draw a line under all that has been and builds a solid foundation to move forward together with optimism and great expectation.” Since moving to the Midlands, the three-day event had, until the arrival of COVID, firmly cemented its place on the exhibition calendar and as far as wet leisure is concerned in the UK, it is now the only event that truly covers the full spectrum of products, making it a must-attend event for anyone involved with the industry – especially this year following such a lengthy break. SPATEX will again play host to two seminar arenas, with free to attend workshops taking place in each across all three days. Visitors can expect to find 45 new talks in total across the two Arenas. All workshops hosted by the Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers (ISPE) in Arena 1
award Continuous Professional Development (CPD) points plus a Certificate of Attendance – a valuable record of the courses that have been attended. In Arena 2, a variety of experts will be imparting their knowledge across a wide range of subjects with the Thursday being a dedicated Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG) day. The STA (Swimming Teachers’ Association) is holding a Pool Plant Conference on the Tuesday in Seminar Arena 2 from 10.15 – 13.30. The LCA (Legionella Control Association) will be holding a seminar on Thursday from 13.45 – 14.15 in Arena 1. We’ve a full list of all the workshops and seminars in this feature and more information is available for each on the SPATEX website. Naturally, the show’s organising team have said that the safety of visitors and exhibitors is paramount so please rest assured that it will be a COVID-safe environment, fully compliant with the latest Government advice and regulations. Without a stand this year, the SPN team will be amongst what we hope will be numerous visitors to the event this year and we’ve plenty of products for people to see! A full and up-to-date list of all the exhibitors can be found on the SPATEX website (www. spatex.co.uk) along with lots of other useful information regarding the show which is
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