The latest edition of Ireland’s bi-annual Hardware Show Ireland took place over two days last month at RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin.
The show, which has been running since the mid-1970s, boasted some significant industry exhibitors, including Hexstone, Crown Paints, Dargan and Draper, as well as some household names like Jeep and even Google and its Digital Garage.
Hardware Association Ireland (HAI) CEO Annemarie Harte tells Torque about show numbers, innovations and priorities for the rest of the year…
WHAT WAS THE FINAL NUMBER OF EXHIBITORS FOR THE 2017 SHOW?
We had over 160 exhibitors at the show, 45 of whom were new to the 2017 show. We were delighted with this result and thank them for the quality and investment put into their stands which meant the Show not only looked fantastic but impressed the visitors too.
DID THE SHOW MEET WITH EXPECTATIONS IN TERMS OF VISITOR NUMBERS?
Yes, our target was 2,000, so we were delighted that we reached the target and exceeded it.
WAS THERE A SENSE OF CONFIDENCE IN THE INDUSTRY FROM THE EXHIBITORS AND VISITORS?
The market has now completed three years of growth and that was evident both in the exhibitor stand investment and the increased visitor numbers to this year’s Show.
DID YOU HAVE ANY PARTICULAR SHOW HIGHLIGHTS?
Highlights included the Innovation Awards which had over 60 entries and the judges were very impressed with the standard of entry; Google attending the Show with their Digital Garage; our apprentices showcasing their skills in plumbing, electrics and plastering and our seminar area which had a constant stream of visitors over the two days of the show.
ARE THE DATES SET FOR THE NEXT SHOW?
Not yet, we are in the middle of reviewing the 2017 show so they will be set once this process is complete.
NOW THE SHOW IS OVER, WHAT’S THE NEXT PRIORITY FOR HARDWARE ASSOCIATION IRELAND?
At this time of year, we now start to focus on preparing our Budget Submission to Government for 2018 and also look towards planning our Annual Conference for next year too.
Hardware Show Ireland goes from strength-to-strength for O’Neill Wholesale & Ramboo Tools
O’Neill Wholesale, exclusive distributor of Ramboo tools gives Torque the view from the show floor of Hardware Show Ireland…
After a successful Hardware Show for O’Neill Wholesale & Ramboo Tools in 2015 our expectations for 2017 were high, and we were not disappointed.
For several reasons, we made the decision to book a larger space at the exhibition this year, more than twice the size of our 2015 stand and with over 200 different products on display this decision was without doubt correct. From within minutes of opening we had constant footfall of both new and existing customers visit our stand and this continued right up until the close of the show.
O’Neill Wholesale & Ramboo Tools specialise in the distribution and sale of hand tools and equipment for the plastering, concreting, building and tiling industries throughout Ireland and the UK as well as into Europe and the rest of the world.
We launched several new product ranges at The Hardware Show, including BeroXpert Tools, Collomix mixing technology, Delehedy Trowels, Kraft Tools, PFT Plastering & Screed pumps and Superprof Tools, alongside our expanded range of plastering & concreting tools and equipment and well-known brands such as Marshalltown, Speedskim and Sur-Pro Stilts.
Whilst there was a lot of interest in the full range of products on display, the highlights for our customers were the huge range of plastering and finishing tools from BeroXpert (Germany), Kraft Tool (USA) and Superprof (The Netherlands). In particular the recently launched BeroXpert Beroflex and Kraft Elite Flex finishing trowels generated much interest. Alongside the Superprof Comfort Profile, Twister & Spatula as well as the established Delehedy trowels and Speedskim range of finishing blades, these tools have revolutionised the work of the plasterer and have opened the
market for retailers and merchants who are proactive in offering new and innovative products to their customer base.
One of the highlights of the show for O’Neill Wholesale & Ramboo Tools was to have the opportunity to view the craftmanship of the future generation of Irish plasterers who were displaying their trade in the Skills Demonstration Zone and it was our pleasure to sponsor and kit the apprentices out with new plastering trowels and tools.
With construction growth in Ireland now on an upward tangent, O’Neill Wholesale & Ramboo Tools is proud to be the leading supplier of hand tools and equipment for the plastering, concreting, building and tiling industries and we are looking forward to further developing the relationships we have with the hundreds of builders merchants and retail stores throughout the country who choose O’Neill Wholesale to be their preferred supplier, safe in the knowledge that we have the experience and range of products to support them in growing their own business.
O’Neill Wholesale can offer a next business day delivery service throughout Ireland and the UK. If you are interested in stocking any of their products please contact them on +44 (028) 2175 8448 or by email info@oneillwholesale.com.
This article was first published in the April issue of Torque Magazine. Read it online in our Archive, or subscribe for free.