Category: News

(London – 5 June, 2023) – Long-time exhibition industry professionals and avid runners – Mike Seaman, CEO of Raccoon Media Group,  and Douglas Emslie, Senior Advisor at Informa and former Tarsus Group CEO – will be running the infamous, 96-mile West Highland Way in Scotland July 1 to raise funds for four charities.

Mike and Doug’s goal was to bring in a total of £96,000 (£1,000 per mile) for the following charities:

• Green Hub is a local community project supporting teenagers and their families / carers facing social, emotional and mental health challenges
• Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity is a leading, specialist paediatric centre, delivering some of the most advanced treatments, complex surgical procedures and cutting-edge research to over 90,000 children and young people from across the UK and beyond
• Mind UK provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding
• Cancer Research UK fund scientists, doctors and nurses to help beat cancer sooner. They also provide cancer information to the public

HERE is the link to donate to these incredible causes!

“Mental health and cancer impact most families. We have chosen 4 charities that do fantastic work in these areas and this run will be a major boost to them in helping those in need,” Emslie said.

Seaman concurred that the charities were chosen carefully, adding ““Doug and I spent a long time deciding which charities we wanted to raise money for, and the causes are incredibly personal, important and meaningful to us both.”

The charities range in size, with one of the smallest ones being Green Hub, which is based near where Doug resides.

“Doug’s wife, Caroline, joined Green Hub 18 months ago and quickly became an integral part of the team, running our inspiring Teen Garden. When she and Doug told us that Green Hub was to be a beneficiary of Doug and Mike’s extraordinary West Highland Way adventure, we were completely over the moon,” said Vanessa Lanham-Day, Co-Founder & Co-Chair of the Green Hub Project for Teens.

She added, “As a small, locally-based charity their donation will make a massive difference to the range and depth of work that we do for teens with mental health issues. Doug and Mike’s story of resilience, and how they have come back determined to succeed in this gruelling challenge on their second attempt, is an inspiring message for all young people today.”

This isn’t the first time that Mike and Doug have tried to complete the daunting West Highland Way course.

“Social media tends to be about successes. This challenge is about failure. Last October Mike and I attempted the 96 miles of the West Highland Way, and we had to stop after 72 miles due to my feet issues,” Emslie said.

He added, “Rather than give up, we saw the failure as a huge learning opportunity, and we return more resilient to do it again this time better equipped to complete it.”

Seaman added, “This is a huge challenge that will test us both mentally and physically – the West Highland Way is a brutal route and has to be one of the toughest things I have ever done”

The West Highland Way stretches 96 miles (154 Km) from Milngavie to Fort William in Scotland, taking in a huge variety of scenery along the way, from countryside parks to loch-shores and open moorlands to steep mountains.

Mike and Doug will have to contend with running a total distance of 96 miles (154km) with 3,155m (10,351ft) of elevation gain, covering very tricky terrain and ‘variable’ weather conditions.

Astonishingly, the team have already raised over £96,000 with an incredibly generous donation from Charterhouse and the Tarsus management team. During the recent acquisition of Tarsus by Informa, £96,000 was set aside to support the challenge. On their behalf, Doug Emslie stated:

“Whilst we were going through the transaction with Informa, the team  decided that we wanted to ensure a proportion of the transaction was paid to good causes, which is exactly what we have done here. £96,000 makes a huge difference to these charities and we are excited to see how far we can go beyond that. I will certainly be talking to my other contacts and connections to see if they can match this generosity as we seek to go #beyond96”

Follow @Project_96 on Twitter and @Project_96whw on Instagram leading up to the run. On July 1, make sure to tune into the Instagram link for live updates!

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.