The Global Manufacturing Festival, a business networking event at the Advanced Manufacturing Park near Rotherham, has attracted nearly 800 visitors and has sold out of exhibition space.
As of Tuesday (April 9), the Festival has taken visitor bookings from 788 people and all 65 exhibition stands are sold.
Economic data reporting a flatlining manufacturing sector has not stopped the festival (GMF) nearly selling out and attracting many firms from outside the region to explore business opportunities.
Richard Wright, chief executive of co-organisers the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, said “This festival showcasing South Yorkshire’s capabilities in special materials, metals and advanced engineering has put itself on the global map for manufacturing events. We are full, and registrations have come from around the country.”
“The next step is to build this into a truly international engineering and trade event, which is the objective in our five-year plan.”
International companies including Siemens, Rolls-Royce, Tata Steel, Firth Rixson and Boeing will be joined by a host of British SMEs, foreign companies in the UK, business support bodies and academics at the exhibition and conference on April 18 at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing, part of the University of Sheffield and one of the seven High Value Manufacturing Catapult centres.
This week power company EDF said it would sent a representative to the GMF.
The main objective of the GMF is to provide a networking forum between global OEMs, tier one suppliers and potential SME suppliers.
For information about how to meet and speak with the bigger international companies at the GMF, contact Kate Reveley at Marketing Sheffield, [email protected] and Kate Stephenson at the Sheffield Chamber at [email protected].
