Feature: National Incentive Show and Call Centre Expo

The National Incentive Show (NIS) returns this month, with a wide range of exhibitors from across the promotions and motivation sector. While suppliers of promotional merchandise feature as always, there are more providers of incentives for motivation programmes.

They include motivation agency Grass Roots, Motivaction and voucher and gift card specialists such as Kingfisher Gift Vouchers, Asda Business Rewards, B&Q, Comet and John Lewis, all within a special pavilion for members of The VA, the trade body for vouchers and cards. Bernard Grant, business services manager for Debenhams, said: “This is the first time we have taken space at NIS and are hoping it will provide a completely new arena of corporate business.”

New features at the show include a networking lounge and bar and two “Google University” sessions as part of the seminar programme [see panel], with a line-up of speakers that range from motivation agencies BI and Maritz to Grasshopper and Eco Incentives. The keynote speaker will be Dan Cobley, marketing director for Google in the UK, Ireland and Benelux.

The Marketing Association Alliance, which includes the ISP, will also be running seminars. More details at www.nationalincentiveshow.co.uk.

To drive pre-registration, organiser Touchstone Exhibitions and Conferences is running an incentive offering a chance to win a Sony Cyber-shot W300 camera and digital printer.

Exhibitors are also offering incentives. Filmology, the movie promotions specialist, is running a prize draw with the chance to win a private screening for 50 people at the Empire Leicester Square, with 50 runner-up prizes of a pair of cinema tickets. P&MM Sales Promotion is also promising to reveal an incentive for people who pre-register and visit its stand.

Tomato Source, which is exhibiting at NIS for the first time, is running sourcing surgeries for visitors, with directors Emma Beeson and Sophie Howes providing advice on campaign briefs and sourcing problems. They will be giving an iconic Slinky toy to the first 500 delegates to visit their stand.

It takes place at Birmingham NEC from September 16 to 18.

Register at www.nationalincentiveshow.co.uk.

NIS is co-located this year with the Print for Business Exhibition, the print management, print buying and trade services show.

It is also next to Call Centre Expo, which features many suppliers of products and solutions for promoting sales in a call centre environment. It takes place on September 16 and 17 and will have more than 200 exhibitors as well as a conference.

For the first time, there will be an “Incentive Avenue”, sponsored by HMV. This involves suppliers of vouchers, gift cards and incentive solutions including Asda Business Rewards, Capital Incentives & Motivation, Grass Roots, HMV, Jordan Media, Love2reward, P&MM, Thorntons, Threshers and Virgin Incentives. Every visitor to this area receives a free HMV music download.

Register at www.callcentre-expo.com.