SITS14 hailed as ‘one of the best ever’ by attendees
The 20th anniversary edition of SITS – The Service Desk & IT Support Show, which took place last month on 29-30 April at London’s Earls Court, has received glowing testimonials from across the service desk and IT support industry.
The highlight of the year for thousands of IT and ITSM professionals looking to source the latest technology-enabled business solutions and services, SITS14 attracted 3,663 unique visitors from across the UK. Delays from the much publicised London underground tube strike, which coincided with both days of the show, did little to dampen their enthusiasm, with 90% of surveyed visitors to date rating their show experience as excellent/good. Whilst 89% said they would revisit in 2015, when the show moves to London’s Olympia.
“The mark of a good event is that you leave wishing you could revisit it, taking in different presentations, speaking to different people and soaking up the ideas from another perspective, and on this front SITS14 delivered with aplomb,” writes visitor James West, editor of Servicedesk360.
Vibrant, engaging, thought-provoking, crucial, and excellent – is the positive verdict from the visitors. The show’s exhibitors have been equally upbeat, with over 65% already rebooked for SITS15. Among them are Hewlett-Packard, TOPdesk, LANDesk, Cherwell Software, Alemba, Hornbill Service Management, Marval, Bomgar, FrontRange, and AlfaPeople.
Exhibitors celebrate successful show
As in previous years, it was the quality of visitors and their high level of engagement that most impressed exhibitors. Footfall may have been disrupted by the 48-hour tube strike but exhibitor feedback certainly wasn’t. When it comes to SITS – and its loyal following – it was business as usual.
“The show’s been really good for us. We’ve been doing the show for eight years and there’s always been a good footfall – this year’s no different,” says Russell Wiltshire, director and co-founder, Vivantio.
“We’ve definitely met the people that we wanted to talk to. We’ve been really busy and had some awesome conversations,” says Christophe Capel, senior product marketing manager, JIRA Service Desk, Atlassian.
“The show was extremely positive for us. We look forward to seeing the show continue to grow when it moves to Olympia,” says Stuart Power, UK country manager, Matrix42.
“The show provides the best forum for people who know what they’re talking about and understand the industry. We find out a great deal of new information – what customers are looking for and the latest trends. It helps make sure we’re on track with what the market’s demanding from us. We’ll be exhibiting here for many more moons to come, that’s for sure,” says Stuart Facey, VP EMEA, Bomgar.
“Based on the reaction from our industry, SITS14 was one of our best editions to date!” says event manager Laura Venables. “Despite the impact of the London tube strikes, there was clearly a strong focus on business throughout the two days, which was fantastic.”
Key influencers and inspiring show content
Highlights of SITS14 included the announcement of the results of the show’s first ever ITSM Contributor of the Year Award. Launched to reward the significant contributions made by the UK’s ITSM professionals, independent management consultant Barclay Rae proved a popular winner of the coveted top spot.
“I was thrilled and honoured to receive the inaugural ‘SITS14 ITSM Contributor of the Year’ award – beating off some strong competition from James Finister and Andie Kis amongst others. Well done to everyone who was nominated and voted for – and of course many thanks if you voted for me,” writes Rae in his blog (www.barclayrae.com).
As ever, the show’s comprehensive free education programme – combining six Keynotes (featuring Gartner), over 40 seminars (in three dedicated theatres), in-depth roundtable discussions, and essential breakfast briefings – were a notable draw.
Around 80% of all visitors attended at least one seminar (most averaged two or more), ensuring many sessions enjoyed standing room only crowds. Exclusive case studies from Network Rail, Virgin Media, and World Food Programme, Keynotes by Gartner’s Jeffrey Brooks and – show regular – IT support consultant Noel Bruton, plus a new white paper from the SDI and Cherwell Software (available to download at www.servicedesk360.com/supporting-humans-not-numbers-free-whitepaper-and-ebook-downloads) were just a few of the highlights.
“A wide range of topics covered in the seminars and some great speakers provided me with some really useful ideas to take away with me,” comments visitor Zeth Bagley, head of technical services, Connect Support Services Ltd. “For this reason alone I would recommend attending SITS, though there is so much more to the show.”
“It's crucial to attend SITS to keep up to date with the latest products and services and to stay ahead of the game in all aspects of IT service management and service delivery,” agrees John Straker, service quality manager, Microsoft.
“Going to SITS has really motivated me in new ways that I can bring innovation and improvements to my department,” says Patrick Bell, service desk team leader, Kingfisher IT.
“I am certain that this is the best event that I have attended in almost a decade and look forward to coming again next year,” concludes Suresh GP, global delivery leader for solution management services, Hewlett Packard (HP).
SITS – The Service Desk & IT Support Show will take place in the new venue of Olympia, London, on 3-4 June 2015. For further information and to stay up-to-date with all the latest news and 2015 exhibitor information, please visit www.servicedeskshow.com.
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Media enquiries to:
Emma-Louise Jones, PR Manager
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Exhibitor enquiries to:
Laura Venables, Group Event Manager of SITS
t: 44 (0)1273 645138 e: lvenables@divcom.co.uk
http://www.twitter.com/SDITS
http://www.servicedeskshow.com
Notes:
SITS – The Service Desk & IT Support Show was shortlisted for Best UK Trade Show Exhibition (under 2,000m2) at the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) Excellence Awards in 2012.
Diversified Communications UK Ltd (Diversified UK) is a fast growing trade event organiser and publisher based in Brighton and Nailsworth (Glos). Diversified UK’s portfolio includes SITS – The Service Desk & IT Support Show; office*; Casual Dining (new for 2014); lunch! (winner of Best Marketing Campaign of the Year at the Association of Event Organisers Excellence Awards in 2012, and Best UK Trade Show Exhibition (under 2,000sqm) in 2010 & 2011); Natural & Organic Products Europe; Nordic Organic Food Fair & Natural Products Scandinavia in Malmö, Sweden; Geo Business (new for 2014); Ocean Business (including Offshore Survey Conference & Ocean Careers); MARELEC Marine Electromagnetics conference; camexpo; Natural Products magazine; and the Natural Beauty Yearbook.
Diversified UK is part of Diversified Communications, a leading international media company with a successful portfolio of sector leading exhibition, conferences, publications and websites.
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