Unimer Day 2009 Success
Unimer Day 2009 - 350 reasons to be cheerful
(27 July 2009) Unimer plc, UK's leading invoice clearing house for the building products industry, is celebrating the huge success of its annual Unimer Day. 350 delegates attended Unimer's trade show and corporate networking event held at the prestigious Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales, on the 8-9 July.
Suzanne Millward, Marketing Manager at Unimer, says: "The Unimer Day has gone from strength to strength, and this is reflected by the tremendous number of suppliers and merchant delegates attending this year. I am pleased to say that the positive comments we have had so far, have exceeded our expectations".
Over 350 delegates showed their support for the event by arriving at the Celtic Manor for full day trade exhibition, dinner and networking opportunities. The exhibition hall was crowded with both new and existing suppliers showcasing their products and providing special offers and discounts for orders placed on the day.
In fact, one very pleased supplier, Eliza Tinsley, sold their entire display stock from their stand and went home with an empty van!
‘Meet the Merchants' sessions
The ‘Meet the Merchants' sessions are extremely popular and both Unimer members and suppliers took advantage of the opportunity to meet up during these ‘business speed-dating' sessions. Howard Richard Sales, who attended for the very first time, were extremely pleased and considered the event a considerable success. Beko backed up this statement and added that it was very successful for them, and in particular the ‘Meet the Merchants' sessions. These hugely popular one-to-one meetings took place over 2 hours, with intense 15 minute pre-booked appointments.
Merchants were set up with their own tables in one of the halls, and suppliers attending during their allocated time slots. These sessions were very highly rated, and provided the opportunity to meet with new suppliers as well as existing contacts to update and re-new existing trading relationships.
Business Networking
The Unimer Day at Celtic Manor is a unique combination of business opportunities, trade exhibition and corporate entertainment. So after gruelling 2 hours intensive meetings, the evening culminated in a gala dinner, where magicians provided entertainment around the tables.
During the dinner, Howard Grant, Managing Director of Unimer plc, took the opportunity to thank all members and suppliers for their support over the year despite the challenging market conditions. Howard also briefly touched upon how Unimer intends to sustain its growth and operational performance, with the continuous investment in people and streamlining of business processes to ensure they are capable of driving the business forward to meet the challenges of the evolving business environment and demands.
Excellent team and networking events
The Unimer Day ended on Thursday 9th July with team and networking events to enable members to carry on networking more informally and relax after the previous day's business activity. Activities included golf on two different courses, off-road driving and clay pigeon shooting.
Coming next year - Unimer Day 2010
Feedback indicates that the Unimer event is highly appreciated for its more informal business and networking opportunities, with ample time for suppliers and merchants to discuss their current and potential business in more detail. And this is considered invaluable to build new and to further existing business relationships. In fact, as one merchant put it: "It's not only about placing an order, it's about building a sustainable and mutually beneficial business relationship".
Kalsi Plastics, a relatively new supplier to Unimer summed up the Unimer Day 2009 by saying "We wanted for nothing due to the superb organisation", and we are sure they will be joining us for the Unimer Day 2010 on the 7-8 July for more business benefits and networking opportunities.