On Sunday we headed off to the British Equestrian Trade Association trade show (BETA).
This is where a lot of different businesses come together to show new products coming to
the market as well as current products.
I was fortunate to have two perspectives this year- on day one I was working for Admire PR
and on day two I worked for an independent retailer.
What is BETA?
BETA is a trade show that brings businesses and retailers together. Businesses can showcase
new products to retailers looking to stock new items. It gives everyone a great opportunity
to network, take on new clients and catch up with current stockists. BETA was formed in
1979 and has grown to be recognised and accepted as the official representative body for
equestrian manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade by the Government and leading riding
organisations.
Working for a trade stand at BETA
I was lucky enough to work for Admire PR this year at BETA. It was a great experience to see
how the trade show works from a trade stand perspective. We had a busy morning speaking
with potential new clients and catching up with current clients. It was a great opportunity to
network with like-minded people.
Throughout the day we had influencers stopping by to give an insight to their followers to what happens at BETA behind the scenes. Doing this gives a bit of a buzz around BETA and gets people interested in what happens. There were a lot of international businesses exhibiting as well as coming to us for help on how to get their products into the UK market.
Working for a retailer visiting BETA
I also visited BETA this year with a retailer. It was great to be able to see how the trade show
runs for both a trade stand and as a visiting retailer. My colleagues and I were visiting from a
small country store looking to speak with the current brands we work with and see if there
was anything we felt would fit our customers, that we could bring in. We were lucky enough
to see some of the new and innovative products that will soon be coming to the market. The
main new products we saw were aimed at the Christmas market. This gives retailers enough
time to get them ordered and delivered in time to be sold to their customers ready for the
Christmas period.
How the day runs
The trade show is run at Stoneleigh Park in a big warehouse-style building. This year, the
show was in one room, compared to last year when it was spread across two rooms. This
made it feel more personable and filled the room out. When you first arrive you get scanned
in, having already registered online, you get a lanyard to put your registration into. There is
a canteen that offers hot and cold food, as well as hot and cold drinks. In the hall, there is
also a coffee bar with plenty of seating if you wish to meet new or current clients over a coffee.
