The UK’s largest trade show dedicated to the vending and water industries, AVEX, takes place this year at the NEC in Birmingham from 11 to 13 June. This year’s show will be run in conjunction with the European Drinking Water Cooler Association (EDWCA), and for the first time ever will run for three days and will also play host to the inaugural FM Vending Show, which has been specially created with Facilities Managers in mind.
Visitors to the show will be able to interact with 100 specialist vending and water suppliers and attend free seminars run by industry experts from the Facilities Management Association and leading vending consultants – 24 Vend.
Facilities Management sessions: how to increase profits
The Facilities Management sessions, on Tuesday 11 June, will play an integral part in the launch of the new FM Vending Show. This “show within a show” will have a specific focus on providing advice for professionals on how to increase profits. The Headline Speaker at the FMA Seminar will be Steve Davies, MD of Compass. This will be followed by a panel discussion with Chris Hoar, CEO of the FMA, Steve Davies and two end-user companies.
24Vend seminars: healthy eating
The focus of the seminars run by 24Vend, on Wednesday 12 June, will be healthy eating, and will include a morning conference where delegates can enjoy sampling a range of healthy new products across snack and beverage categories. The seminar programme will focus on how to incorporate healthy options into existing vending portfolios to attract new vending consumers as well as driving profits. The conference keynote speaker is Aaron Prout, Founder and MD of The School Drinks Company, who will be joined by Jim English from the US company Sprout Retail, Tracey Graham from Abercromby Vending, Tom Lewington from It’s Only Natural, Liz Morris from Working Families and Lee Holdstock from the Soil Association.
The University Food Development Award: healthy vending products
Also on 12 June, visitors will also be able to watch the students from University College Birmingham present their healthy vending products for judging by an expert panel for the chance to win the University Food Development Award.
The vending industry has a clear need for a greater choice of healthier meal and snack options, and the students were asked to create new food and packaging concepts for six different vending markets – business and industry; education; healthcare; leisure; staff catering and transport – addressing some of the key issues of today such as obesity, recycling of packaging, allergens and Government regulations regarding salt and sugar levels.
The judging panel will be made up of Tracey Graham from Abercromby Vending – Winner of the Healthy Living award in Scotland, Gillian White from 24Vend and Coeliac UK, Tim Franklin-Heys from Unilever – sponsor of the Food Development Award, Bernard Schumacher Lecturer at University College Birmingham, Paul Howard – AVEX Chairman and Lee Holdstock from the Soil Association. The winner will be announced at the inaugural Vending Industry Awards that evening.
Fault-find a vending machine competition
Thursday 13 June is set to bring an innovative and competitive spirit to the AVEX seminars, with the chance for engineers and the more technically minded to fault-find a vending machine under timed conditions. Combining fun with expert knowledge, this session will highlight the importance of on-going professional training and will be run by the AVA’s training partner Vending Intelligence Ltd.
Exhibitors and products can be found at www.avexshow.co.uk
To register for FREE entry to AVEX 2013 visit www.avexshow.co.uk.
If you would like to book a place on either of the seminars mentioned above or if you would like to enter the engineers’ competition, please visit the following websites for further information:
FM/AVA – www.ava-vending.co.uk
24vend Ltd – http://beinghealthy2013.eventbrite.co.uk/#
Vending Intel – www.vendingintelligenceagency.co.uk
Follow AVEX on Twitter – @AVEX13