Show,seminars and surgeries|

As the green shoots begin to appear in the UK economy, the storage and handling sector is gearing up for its flagship exhibition - IMHX 2010 - which takes place at the NEC from 16th to 19th November. IPE outlines what visitors can expect to find at the event

IMHX, which takes place every three years, will feature major players from the handling and storage industry, with more than 300 exhibitors expected to showcase their products and services.

A large number of supply chain professionals are planning to visit the show and the organiser, Quartz Publishing & Exhibitions, says that pre-registered visitor numbers are already at a higher level than for any previous staging of IMHX.

Exhibitors In addition to the large number of stands showing materials handling equipment, exhibitors will be showcasing health and safety systems, software solutions, racking and shelving, storage systems, pallets and palletising equipment, property, recruitment and training services, third party logistics, transport and distribution, flooring, packaging, handling system design, financial services, and warehousing.

Seminars and surgery This year's event will feature more than 30 free seminars from some of the industry leaders on the themes of: Information Technology (Tuesday 16th November); Innovation (Wednesday 17th November); and Environment (Thursday 18th November. Topics covered will include RFID Technology, Visual Logistics and Green Storage. All the seminars are free to attend on a first-come, first-served basis.More information can be found on the IMHX website - www.imhx.biz.

The exhibition's organisers have also teamed up with independent supply chain consultant, OPS Logistics Consultancy, to offer a Free Advice surgery for the first time at IMHX. Visitors will be able to take advantage of a 20min consultation with one of the industry experts from OPS to explore ways of increasing revenue, reducing costs and improving customer experience. The surgery service will be available throughout the four days of the show and consultations can be booked in advance through the website: www.imhx.biz/surgery.

Carbon-neutral IMHX 2010 will be offsetting the CO2 produced through staging the show and through visitor travel to the venue. The show will feature an Environmental Zone sponsored by Shell Gas (LPG), at which visitors will be able to record their show travel footprint - at no cost to themselves - using a web-based carbon calculator. The show's organiser will then offset the CO2 by planting trees within the UK through an accredited carbon offset partner. The Environmental Zone will also feature a number of green solutions offered by exhibitors that contribute to a cleaner environment, energy efficiency and reduced waste.

Pavilion people For the first time at IMHX there will be a special pavilion to promote the show's many automated handling system exhibitors.

Recognising that the event has historically attracted large numbers of visitors from the food and drink sector, IMHX 2010 will also feature a special Food & Drink Logistic Suppliers' Pavilion, sponsored by the Food Storage & Distribution Federation.

Design 4 Safety The winners of the inaugural IMHX design 4 Safety Awards will be announced at a VIP Awards breakfast on the first day of the show. Designed to highlight the importance of product design in improving safety standards, the awards have been jointly organised by Quartz and BITA and were open to all exhibitors. All shortlisted products will be highlighted in the show catalogue and featured in the exhibition's Design 4 Safety showcase zone.

Pack for preregistering Visitors who pre-register for IMHX 2010 will receive a passport-style pack containing a delegate name badge, the 'Little Black Book' of handling industry contacts, foldout floor plan and details of the environmental zone.