Today kick starts week two of UK Manufacturing’s largest, entirely virtual, exhibition event! Backing Britain Live 2020 has already seen thousands of exhibitors and visitors tune into roundtable discussions, networking drinks and join competitions.  

Looking back on the completion of the first week, TotalControlPro™ would love to share our key highlights from the event and tips on how to make the most of the online show.   

Backing Britain 2020 has opened up some very interesting conversations with new partners and potential customers across various sectors throughout the UK. Strategic Director, Dolores Sanders shared the event has “helped me get my head above the parapet.” In recent months, it has been necessary to get “heads down and focus on factors immediately in front of us.” The Backing Britain event has allowed the team at TotalControlPro™ to start to look beyond the immediate next few months and reconnect to the future opportunities available in UK Manufacturing.  

Our Chief Operations Operator, Paul Dunham summarised the event with a perfect story. Over twenty years ago Paul attended an industry summit around the emergence of online shopping. During the seminar, a man stood up and said, “One day soon we will be buying our cars online.” At the time, the room laughed and brushed the comment aside. Today thousands of cars are bought online every day. 

For Paul,  

“This moment was the demonstration of the early pioneers and the moment of thinking ahead into the future. The same can be said about the Backing Britain event. I really believe this type of virtual connection, type of show, really is the pioneering early days of what is going to evolve to be as good as the past shopping experience. 

Therefore, any problems that may have sprung up during virtual events, whether that be bad signal or difficulty making meaningful connections, remember the next one will always be better. This is just the beginning.  

You never know, a few years from now, this process of online webinars and exhibitions will be so slick, we could be viewing even touching new products in 360 degrees, from the comfort of our homes.” 

Dolores completed the round-up expressing, 

This is an evolution, not a revolution. The early pioneers went looking for gold…and we did find the golden banner on Friday afternoon!

We wish everyone a great rest of the event. And here are some final few tip to help you make the most of it. 

Tips for getting the most from virtual events:

1. Stay interested and keep connecting  

• Keep searching for those leads, take the opportunity to look through the various stands, get to know what people do and their business on a deeper level.  

2. Be straight to yourself and others who you are looking to connect with  

• CEO, Dorian Smellie recommends during the networking opportunities be honest with the group the type of people you are hoping to meet during the event. Dorian uses the example, “I am looking for two types of connections, people we can partner with and those in the manufacturing sector in need of our technology.” Providing this transparent and open communication structure removes the unnecessary, awkward barriers that can occasionally arise when communicating virtually.  

3. Be interested not just interesting  

• In current times, organisations across industries such as Manufacturing, must learn to operate and work to assist each other to facilitate growth. Therefore, ask questions. Be interested in what others do and be confident to ask, “How can we help each other?” By engaging with others, getting to know what they do, they in turn will be more interested in what you do and go on to share that knowledge with others.