Conference and awards added to Maintec 2013

When the MAINTEC show returns to the NEC, Birmingham, on 5th to 7th March 2013 it will include a major conference featuring internationally renowned speakers, plus the Maintenance Professional Awards.

Dedicated to industrial maintenance and asset management, MAINTEC is already a fixture in the diaries of many maintenance professionals, engineering and plant managers.

Visitors come from a mix of high profile companies such as Rolls Royce, Siemens, BP, EDF Energy and Britvic, as well as many smaller companies. They attend the show to access the latest kit and to talk to those responsible for advances in condition monitoring, asset management and hazard detection.

Simon Turner, MD of Cobalt Conveyors, a first time exhibitor at MAINTEC 2012 explains what MAINTEC's 'decision-maker pulling power' means for his business: "There were probably four or five people we met at the show, who we would never in a million years be able to access by any other means. For instance we had the chief engineer from one of the UK's biggest retailers come past our stand, I'd been trying to get hold of him for more than nine months. Major companies like Walkers Crisps, Morrisons and Greggs - people we normally just can't get to, all came past our stand. It was brilliant."

Conference The MAINTEC Conference will feature some of the leading experts and practitioners who will draw on their experiences, new research and case studies as they explore the industry's hottest topics. The lineup will be announced shortly and Matt Benyon, MD of easyFairs UK, says they're aiming high: "This is no window dressing for the show. We're talking about a top level conference, something that will really help delegates shift their maintenance strategy and thinking up a gear."

Awards Also new for MAINTEC 2013 is the Maintenance Professional Awards.

These recognise and reward those who have applied know-how and technology to the maintenance process and delivered real commercial benefits as a result. The awards have two categories - Maintenance Professional of the Year and, in support of newer entrants to the industry, Maintenance Apprentice of the Year, with entries opening in the autumn and the results announced at the show.

Many key names in the maintenance market have already signed up for the exhibition. They will be joined by exhibitors in the HAZEX area, where hazard prevention experts will address the growing health and safety responsibilities of engineeering professionals.

Exhibitor Karen Preston, marketing services manager at Schaeffler (UK) likes this development: "We welcome anything that recognises maintenance personnel's efforts to reduce costs and improve plant availability for their business. It's a good idea building this into the show." There is also a free-to-attend learnShops seminar programme and the Dragons' Den inspired contest 'Lions' Lair' where new maintenance and engineering technologies, innovations and concepts are pitched to an expert