Category: News

EMECA has awarded Raccoon Media Group the BELA – Best Exhibition Launch Award 2023 for its outstanding achievement with the National Outdoor Expo 2022.

EMECA created the BELA Best New Exhibition Launch Award on the occasion of its 30th Anniversary last year, to mark the strong comeback after the pandemic. The aim is to draw attention to new organisers, show themes and formats to highlight the innovativeness and attractiveness of the trade fairs industry. At the same time, EMECA intends to foster the resilience of the exhibition sector by showcasing examples of innovative approaches, active creation of new exhibitions and outstanding entrepreneurship. The BELA Award is given to the best first edition of an exhibitions, B2B or B2C, held at the EMECA venues in 2022.

13 submissions from 8 different venues in 5 countries had been received following the call for submissions launched among EMECA venues only. All applications presented appealing concepts, demonstrated innovations, ambitious economic plans and their impact. The jury was thrilled by the high number, the variety and quality of the applications received. EMECA President Roland Bleinroth gratefully indicates: “We would like to thank all applicants and encourage them to follow the path forward in
collaboration with the EMECA venues.” During the EMECA General Assembly taking place in Basel on 16th – 17th May 2023,

Raccoon Media Group was awarded of this exclusive award and honoured by the
representatives of the major exhibitions centres in Europe. Roland Bleinroth adds: “The EMECA jury was impressed by how the community was built in a creative, inclusive and diverse way. The interactive activities implemented both inside the halls and outdoor went well beyond other similar industry events. We also appreciated the comprehensive sustainability measures, carbon footprint measuring and ambitious goal to be a net zero carbon event in 2025. All in all, this a role model for organiser-venue collaboration, we congratulate Raccoon Media Group as well as the NEC Birmingham.”

Mike Seaman, CEO Raccoon Media Group commented: “It was vital for our event that in designing our exhibition, we create and exude an inclusive and inspiring community feel rather than just an event. We’re delighted that the EMECA judges picked up on that, as well as our detailed sustainability measures. The 2022 show saw us ditch aisle carpet for the first time, working with a carbon auditor to measure, monitor and reduce our carbon impact. The second edition has just taken place in March this year with even bigger success, large rebooking numbers and expansion plans of 50% plus floorspace for next edition. We now plan to expand internationally with the National Outdoor Expo in Boston, USA, in 2024.”

Kelly Haslehurst, Marketing Director for Conventions & Exhibitions at the NEC, said: “We are proud to host such great content and innovative new launches at our venue and The National Outdoor Expo is a prime example of this. We’re excited for the success of The National Outdoor Expo going forward and can’t wait to see how it grows and develops. This internationally recognised award is testament to the hard work of Raccoon Media Group and our NEC venue team who frequently pull out all the stops to make each event in the calendar a memorable one.”

Raccoon Media Group, the company behind the award-winning health and well-being shows, is proud to announce the opening of its new raccoon sanctuary, located in the heart of Guildford high street. The sanctuary is designed to provide a safe and secure home for raccoons while also serving as an educational centre for people around the world. If you have any raccoon-mendations on what to name each raccoon, please get in touch.

The company is a small business with good intentions and has a strict sustainability policy for their events with an aim to be net zero by 2025. Raccoon Media Group CEO and animal activist Mike Seaman, commented: ‘we measure and reduce our environmental impact with everything that we do and after my passion-led research into the endangerment of raccoons, I wanted to take this a step further and inspire people to care more deeply about nature and wildlife. Alongside my role as RMG CEO and Guildford running Mayor, I am now excited to become Surreys very first ‘Trash Panda Pioneer’.

At the sanctuary, visitors will be able to observe rescued raccoons in their natural habitats and come away with a better understanding of these highly intelligent animals. In addition to providing hands-on education, the sanctuary will also raise awareness about threats facing raccoons in the Surrey area, such as habitat destruction, being hunted by pigeons, and Cyril Sneer. By educating people about these issues, RMG hopes to help promote conservation efforts that will protect the future of this species.

Head of Raccoon Representation in the UK, April Fules, commented ‘This is a fantastic step towards Raccoon acceptance in this country. I recently visited a group of the Raccoons that will be adopted into the sanctuary, they look visibly enthusiastic to be heading to the exotic town of Guildford’.

To celebrate the opening of the Raccoon Sanctuary, we are releasing a special free ticket code for some of our successful shows when you use code RACCOONSANCTUARY at checkout:

The National Cycling Show

The National Snow Show 

The London Snow Show

For more information on our other shows, click here.

Raccoon Media Group has been shortlisted in four categories of this year’s AEO Excellence Awards including Marketing Campaign of the year for the National Running Show, Best Consumer Show for the National Outdoor Expo, Best International Launch for Snowbound Expo and Best International Show (Americas) for Snowbound Expo.

The second edition of the National Outdoor Expo in partnership with Ordnance Survey was hosted at the NEC in Birmingham and was attended by over 20,000 people. The show’s two stages played host to experts and adventurers from across the world of outdoor pursuits including Ben Fogle, Ray Mears, Helen Skelton, Hamza Yassin, Alastair Humphreys and Preet Chandhi enthralling packed theatres with the highs, lows, achievements and failures from a life spent in the outdoors.

The 2023 show was the fifth National Running Show to be hosted at the NEC in Birmingham and attracted over 26,000 visitors across the two days. The show boasted a sensational line-up of speakers including Eilish McColgan, Dina Asher-Smith, Colin Jackson, Kriss Akabusi and a first class retail experience with top brand exhibitors.

Almost 20,000 visitors attended the first edition of Snowbound Expo at the Hynes Convention Center, Boston. The show’s two stages played host to Olympic Athletes, record-breaking leaders and adventurers from across the States including Conrad Anker, Kelly Clark, Phil Henderson, Chris Davenport, Dani Reyes-Acosta and many more, regaling packed theatres with the highs, lows, achievements and failures from a life spent in the mountains.

Mike Seaman, CEO at Raccoon Media Group commented: “I am so incredibly proud of the team here at Raccoon and it is fantastic to see their hard work recognised at such a prestigious event. To have our company listed alongside the biggest and best events in the country is testament to the amazing people we have in our business. Good luck to the other nominees and we look forward to the winners being announced next month.”

Snowbound Expo Boston will return for its second edition on the 3-5 November 2023, The National Running Show will be back at the NEC in Birmingham on 20-21 January 2024 and the National Outdoor Expo will return to the NEC Birmingham on the 23-24 March 2024. For more information about other Raccoon Media Group events visit www.raccoonmediagroup.com.

Raccoon Media Group has agreed a multi-show partnership with LifeTidy, the life planner for money management, to help visitors to its shows manage their physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

The 5 year deal will see the two organisations work hand-in-hand to promote  financial wellbeing and comprehensive life organisation, across all its shows, kicking off with The National Running Show at the NEC, Birmingham on 21-22^nd January 2023. With over 20,000 people expected to attend, the show will provide a platform for LifeTidy to introduce and inform visitors about the benefits of having an organised system for managing finances and all of life’s admin to promote control and encourage getting back power in understanding  one’s financial affairs which  ultimately impacts overall mental health.

The average person will spend 3 hours and 5 minutes a week just thinking about life admin, and a total of 5 years and 5 months of their lives actually doing it. Most people have a lifetime’s worth of essential paperwork, including everything from financial information to medical records, which are often un-filed, packed in drawers or buried in their email. When it comes around to needing it, it’s impossible to know where to begin.

LifeTidy helps you create order out of chaos and remove the stress from sorting everyday life admin. The encrypted platform securely stores, monitors, and tracks all your important information through an easy-to-use interface. It has handy features such as renewal reminders, simple scan and upload functions and open banking integration. This allows you to connect all your bank accounts, credit cards, loans, mortgages and pensions integrating them into the money wheel, giving you a holistic view of your current financial position.

Mark Hamilford from LifeTidy commented: “With mental wellbeing at the forefront of the factors for which we created this app, we are so excited to partner with Raccoon Media Group and bring awareness to the main stressors of life which is the chaos of life admin management. Giving comprehensive oversight of financial situations among individuals, couples and families is just where we begin. We aim to be there to make your life easier during any time, from monumental moments to everyday stressors, we want to be there for you and give you back your time to enjoy doing what you love most. ”

Mike Seaman, CEO at Raccoon Media Group commented: “Our shows have a strong focus on physical wellbeing but over the last few years, mental wellbeing has become equally important. One area that many of us seem to draw stress from is the ability to keep on top of all the financial and ‘life admin’ that we need to manage and now more than ever, having a real view of our finances is imperative. We are delighted to be working alongside LifeTidy to bring education and solutions to our shows and hope this will be a valuable addition for our visitors.”

To find out more about Raccoon Media Group visit www.racoonmediagroup.com, to find out more about LifeTidy visit https://lifetidy.com.

Leisure spending may hold up better than expected among active Brits. This is the conclusion of a new report by Sporting Insights (formerly Sports Marketing Surveys Inc.), available for immediate purchase.

The study confirms suspicions that general spending will, and indeed already is, beginning to be constrained. However, data suggests almost half of people are not, or at least not yet, considering changing expenditure concerning leisure activities.

This resilience, which is even more marked in some specific cycling categories than others, would be excellent news for both the cycling and wider sports industry and chimes with findings from throughout the pandemic that showed people according greater importance to active habits and products.

In fact, the research highlights how, in certain cases, spending on leisure items may actually help ease financial pressures. Overall, the trend in car usage was for drivers to shift towards driving less compared to 2021, this despite a general shift back towards offices or hybrid working. Meanwhile, around 40% of people cycled more in 2022 than in 2021.

Together, the responses indicate a rise in active transport use among one of the more active sectors of society.

The report, available for £250 + VAT, is designed to highlight how people’s day-to-day transport choices have shifted in 2022, how purchase habits are evolving at the dawn of the cost of living crisis – including on key sectors like sporting holidays – and how cycling is perceived more generally.

The data is based on a robust sample of almost 4,000 respondents with an interest in outdoor sports including cycling and running. Responses from active people across the UK were sought, with 64% of respondents taking part in over 150 minutes of exercise each week and 34% taking part in 30-150 minutes.

For more information on the study or to purchase the report, contact Marc Anderman, Head of Cycling.

You can also head to the Sports Insight website for more information.

Raccoon Media Group, the company behind The National Snow Show Birmingham, has today announced that it is launching National Snow Week and The London Snow Show in partnership with Evening Standard Live in 2023, further extending its operations within the UK snowsport industry.

The joint venture will see Raccoon Media Group working in partnership with Evening Standard Live, the events division of the Evening Standard, to bring the existing Birmingham event plus the two new offerings to the UK Snowsports calendar, bolstering the UK’s standing in the European snowsports market.

National Snow Week will begin with the third edition of National Snow Show Birmingham which will take place at the NEC, Birmingham on 14-15^th October 2023, with key trade and consumer satellite events, involving other snow related companies including dry slopes, snow centres, retailers and brands, leading up to the newly launched London Snow Show at the Excel, London on 21st – 22nd October 2023. The week will create an opportunity for brands, resorts, tour operators and associations to come face-to-face with over 25,000 snowsport enthusiasts at its two consumer events and attend strategic, high-level trade events during the same timeframe, truly galvanising the industry to extend the reach of the snowsports industry in the UK.

The National Snow Show Birmingham has attracted more than 23,000 visitors over the last two years, increasing its floor space by over 5000sqm year-on-year. The London Snow Show will mirror the Birmingham event, covering approximately 9,000sqm and will bring a mix of retail, content and interactive features to snowsports enthusiasts in London and the surrounding counties. The events will continue to work hand-in-hand with industry media partners including InTheSnow, Snow Magazine, Skier & Snowboarder, Fall Line Skiing, chillfactor and Planet Ski are already onboard to work alongside the team.

According to industry research from Mountain Trade Network, the UK snowsports market is currently estimated to include over two million snowsports enthusiasts and is valued at over £5 billion. Extending the consumer facing offering along with trade events, with both domestic and international entities, will give a well-timed and much needed boost to the industry, which has faced numerous challenges over the last two years.

Stephen Morgan, MD at Raccoon Active Events, part of the Raccoon Media Group portfolio commented: “Over the course of the last two years working on The National Snow Show and across six years of running multi award-winning health and wellbeing shows in the UK and US, we’ve been able to build strong relationships across every facet of the snowsports and fitness sectors. There’s huge demand for the show we have created hand-in-hand with the industry in Birmingham to be available to the London audience and with the successful model we have created, we are totally stoked to be able to meet that demand.

“The introduction of National Snow Week sandwiched between the two large scale consumer events will provide strategic opportunities for the UK and international snowsports industry, press and wider stakeholders to network and continue to develop the role the UK plays, not only in its own snowsports industry but in the wider European market too.”

Sam North, Head of Exhibitions, Evening Standard Live said: ‘’We are delighted to be partnering with Racoon Media Group to deliver the best Snow Show London has ever seen. We feel that our collaboration will benefit the whole snow community and look forward to putting on an amazing show next October!”

To find out more about National Snow Week, the London Snow Show and National Snow Show Birmingham visit www.nationalsnowshow.com, to discuss opportunities to get involved with any of the National Snow Week events contact steve.morgan@raccoonmediagroup.com.

Notes:

• Find out more about The National Snow Show

About the Evening Standard:
Founded in 1827, the Evening Standard is London’s most iconic news brand and the UK’s largest quality daily. Recognised as setting the agenda in politics and business, as well as being first with major news and sports stories, the brand reaches a total of 13.1 million cross-platform readers a month. Through Evening Standard Live, it connects Londoners through inspirational events that celebrate everything our culture-rich city has to offer.

For all media enquiries, contact Senior Marketing Manager Ashley Cox at ashley.cox@raccoonmediagroup.com.

This year the show will boast some brand new features including the Après Pavilion, delivered in partnership with Ski Club GB, OOSC, Eco Ski and NUCO Travel. An area for visitors to kick back, enjoy live music from Squid Lips , pumping DJ sets and ‘Beer Pong Championships’ from OOSC, NUCO Travel and Jubel, Ski Simulators and insurance advice from the show’s official Insurance Partner, Ski Club GB, a gear cleaning station from Eco Ski and mountain inspired drinks from Jubel Beer. The vibe will be chilled through to 3pm when the tunes will kick up a notch and the drinks will start flowing. Don’t miss the Alpine Bar brought to you by SkiYodl which will be open all weekend to provide the perfect place to kick back with friends new and old and absorb the energy of the Show.

Also new for 2022 is the Warren Smith Ski Technique Lab which will bring a personalised skiing MOT from the experts, an enhanced feature from RAF Nordic and Norway Home of Skiing, who will be running a Nordic introduction to Roller Skating as well as bigger Biathlon Experience with Laser Shooting alongside the experts. For those looking to perfect their balance skills, head to the Balance Board feature with Swifty.

The Show, now in its second year, will boast a 40% larger indoor slope from SnowDome, giving budding skiers and snowboarders of all ages a chance to have a go under the watchful eye of the SnowDome and FIS experts. A souped-up skate ramp for testing those skateboard skills on the Skate Mini Ramp from Graystone Action Sports is back by popular demand with a jam sessions and swag up for grabs on the Saturday afternoon as well as Boot fitting sessions with Ski Exchange.

A shopper’s paradise, the show will include stands from high street brands as well as boutique stores, including Atomic, Rossignol, Pulse Roll, Nordica, Oakley, UYN, Spyder and Picture Organic who will be attending on the Show’s Retail Partner, Ski Exchange’s vast stand. Other exhibitors include The Snowboard Asylum, Volkl, Dalbello, Marker, Salomon, Black Peak Trading and many more.

As visitor’s minds start to turn to their next Winter break, the show offers face-to-face access to experienced tour operators and resorts to help plan the perfect trip, whether travelling alone or with a large group. Crystal Ski Holidays, Inghams, Ski Andorra, Ikon Pass, Aosta Valley Tourist Board, France Montagne, Georgian National Tourism Administration, LAAX, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, OTP Swiss Holidays, Norway Home of Skiing and Snowsport Scotland will all be at the show and ready to offer bespoke advice and tailored holidays

National Snow Show speaker Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards commented: “I have always found Ski & Snowboard Shows a great way to bring people together who are involved in Winters ports, it was such a shame that I could not be there ‘in person’ in 2021, but I am so looking forward to being there this year. My time competing in the Olympics taught me so much, and I believe everyone should give snowsports a try, no matter their experience or ability. The atmosphere when you bring snowsports lovers together is fabulous and I can’t wait to share my story and hear other people’s tales at the Show.”

The National Snow Show takes place in Hall 1 at the NEC, Birmingham on 15-16 October, doors open at 9am and tickets retail at £10pp, children under 16 go free.

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