The Sustainability Live trade show on 22-23 April at the NEC was reported to have been a success, and will undergo a rebrand prior to next year’s event.
Responding to third-party research, the organiser has plumped for a new name. What was this year called “Sustainability Live incorporating NEMEX and Energy Recovery” is to become “edie2016”, providing a single brand to encompass the content from Sustainability Live, NEMEX and Energy Recovery. “The research showed it was the obvious choice, because www.edie.net has been a trusted part of the workflow of 60,000+ energy, environment, facilities and sustainability professions for almost 20 years,” said a press release from the organiser.
The 2015 show reported an increase in both visitor and exhibitor numbers, driven in part, it is suggested, by the introduction of major new show features. These included a strategy-focused conference, under the headline ‘From risk to resilience’, alongside a CPD-accredited, practical seminar programme. The conference featured talks and panel debates from sustainability experts, including Tobias Larsson, head of resilience, DHL; Charlotta Lyon, VP corporate affairs Western Europe, Carlsberg Breweries; and Gio Patellaro, head of energy supply and risk, Marks & Spencer.
Paul Crewe, Sainsbury’s head of sustainability, energy and engineering, took part in the conference session ‘Energy – the bottom line: use less, make your own, buy smarter’ and the Energy Recovery Theatre session ‘Fuelling CSR: creating brand value by closing the loop’. He said:
“It’s always enjoyable to come to Sustainability Live. The debate and discussions in the two sessions I was able to speak at have been excellent. I was very enthused to see so many people in the conference who are here to listen and be engaged and who plan to do something to help their own organisations when they leave the event.”
Other new show features unveiled this year included four Topic Trails – ESOS, energy-efficient buildings, energy generation and smarter systems – which are intended to help connect visitors with the most relevant exhibitors, products and technologies in the most time-efficient way.
Also new was the edie Innovation Zone, supported by the Knowledge Transfer Network, which highlighted the latest emerging technologies in trial stages of development.
The technologies – which ranged from a tool that captures the energy from waste steam to mass-market rainwater harvesters – were selected by an independent steering committee and were showcased in a dedicated area of the exhibition.
Adrian Haworth, marketing director of Recycling Technologies, showcased one of the selected emerging technologies – Warwick FBR, a solution for the mixed plastic waste crisis, by transforming plastic into an energy-rich hydrocarbon commodity called Plaxx.
He commented: “Our main purpose for being here at Sustainability Live has been to generate some awareness about our new technology that turns plastic waste into oil. We’ve had a steady flow of people from all sectors at our stand – potential clients, partners and investors. It’s been very good indeed.”
“We’ve met one person in particular who is moving from the renewables industry, but has a lot of money to invest in new innovations, and was interested in what we’re doing. We had a very good conversation here at the show!”
The exhibition also played host to a number of technology launches and product demonstrations, with new kit on show from Schneider Electric, Bowers Electricals, MyOxygen, Danlers, Cub (UK) and C3 Resources among others.
Gary Sweeney, sales engineer for exhibitor Schneider Electric said:
“The show has been absolutely wonderful, we have been exhibiting our automated metering and monitoring offer. We are close to some of the energy theatres, which have been very interesting with lots of good questions and answers. I have been attending exhibitions for 20 years and my general feeling for the show is this has to be in the top two, if not the number one show I have ever been to.”
Angela Himus, director for the water and sustainability portfolio at Faversham House said: “We are delighted with the reaction to the new edie brand and with the great reception to the many new features at this year’s show. edie2016 will build on this and explore new topics which are core to our audience. The event will return next year with a stronger focus on innovation, plus a tighter format over two days.”
edie2016 will take place at the NEC on May 17-18 and, as this year, will co-locate with Utility Week Live, the UK’s first and only event dedicated to the business, operational and technical needs of the UK’s water, electricity and gas utilities.
