Meatup 2017, the UK’s dedicated meat industry exhibition, has drawn to a close, and the event’s organisers have reported an enjoyable and eventful two days at ArenaMK, Milton Keynes.
The Competition Arena in the centre of the hall created a buzz throughout the event and, with a line-up of six guest speakers in the Seminar Theatre, visitors were offered interesting insight into hot meat industry topics.
Many visitors to the show reported an engaging couple of days.
Graeme Goodsir, president of Graeme Goodsir Associates INC, visited Meatup from America and attended the seminars. He said: “My question for seminar speaker Peter Wareing of Leatherhead Food Research, was ‘what is Defra doing to discourage the excessive use of antibiotics?’ The seminar was very good. He had great diction and he sold it very well. It all looks very impressive, I have to say.”
Awal Fuseini, Halal manager for AHDB, commented: “It’s good that there is such a variety of products on display. I’ve also been able to interact with the wider industry. I’ve been catching up with friends as well and listening to the seminars. I was excited to hear my boss, Dr. Phil Hadley speak in the Seminar Theatre, too.”
Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), added: “It’s a good networking opportunity and I’ve seen lots of people I’ve needed to see in a short space of time. The new venue is very easy to get to from London. It’s been a successful day.”
An array of exhibitors showcased their products and new technology at the show and reported a useful experience.
Anthony Daniels, Handtmann, sales manager UK and Ireland, commented: “The venue is great, and the access is too.
As well as the smaller companies we were expecting to visit, we’ve had very big companies visit the stand too. For us the show was about brand awareness and talking to people, we also wanted to support the local area as we are based 20 minutes from the venue. A show of this scale has a community feel and it’s been a worthwhile experience.”
Nadeem Ahmad, marketing executive at Accles & Shelvoke Ltd, added: “This is our first time at the show and it’s been really useful. We’d definitely come again. We’ve had quite a few people come to see us and had a lot of interest. The venue is fantastic and it’s easy to get to. We are a global company but do have a significant interest across the UK, so coming to an exhibition like this is really useful.”
Pete Mitchell, founder and director of The Farmer’s Son, was also impressed with the show.
Pete said: “It’s been really helpful considering we’re a small family run business with a focus on quality and traceability. It’s a great place to come for both small businesses and high end butcher’s shops. It feels like every conversation you have here is a valuable one – it’s been a really good day. We’d definitely consider coming again. There’s been a big draw not just from across the UK but from all over Europe as well.”
Loredana Emmerson, marketing manager at CoolKit, was impressed by the high calibre of visitors: “The show’s been very good with steady traffic and the people who have spoken to us have been from really high quality businesses. We’ve made some good contacts to take back to the office so we’ve been really happy with how it’s gone.”
Bill Jermey, chairman of the Institute of Meat, said: “It’s been an interesting couple of days. We have seen people who have been interested and engaged. The venue is very good, easy to get to and modern.”
Arthur Pynenburg, managing director of Treif UK Ltd, commented: “I think it’s important that the UK has its own exhibition. We very much like this venue and the show has been very professional. We are looking forward to Meatup growing here at Milton Keynes and plan to support the next exhibition in 2019.”
Meatup’s show director Graham Yandell concluded: “We had a most enjoyable two days here at ArenaMK and I would like to thank our stakeholders for backing the event and the visitors who attended. We have had some thought provoking seminars, excellent competitions and a demonstration of brilliant craft butchery skills. It is always our pleasure to provide a forum for our great industry, and we look forward to feedback from all concerned over the coming weeks.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
