A week ago today, 88 exhibitors and over 1,400 visitors gathered at Olympia Central for the first Finance Professional Show. Amongst others, some of the UK’s leading lenders, high street banks, business service providers and loan distributors showcased their wares for intermediary visitors old and new.
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Karen Bennett, Sales and Marketing Director of show sponsor Shawbrook Bank, Commercial Mortgages, said: "I think it’s fair to say that the first Financial Professional Show was a success. The event was busy throughout the whole day and drew lots of the broker community together. Everyone we spoke to was planning to grow their businesses and Shawbrook remains as dedicated as ever to delivering to the broker channel – we want to be a part of helping them achieve their growth ambitions.”The packed conference theatre, sponsored by Aldermore Bank and supported by the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB), saw various industry figures discuss the most pressing issues facing the intermediary market today. MPs, bank heads and specialist finance leaders made up some of the most diverse speaker panels seen to date.
Adam Tyler, CEO of the NACFB, held the Association’s AGM in the afternoon of the Show. Adam commented: “It was great to see a busy show with business being done between the broking community and those lenders present on the day. There was a really great atmosphere in the room and the feedback we received from our members was fantastic, we are already planning on holding our AGM at the show again in 2014.”
Paul Crewe, Director of Smart Money Loans, one of the Finance Professional Show’s main sponsors, said: “The show has definitely met our expectations. We were particularly pleased to see that not only had brokers come from the South East and London but also much further afield, which was an added bonus - particularly as we already have a strong presence in the North of England.”Areas of the financial services industry covered by the largest selection of exhibitors at any Expo this year included: residential mortgages, secured loans, commercial finance, bridging finance, peer-to-peer lending, leasing and asset based finance.
The team behind the annual must-attend Commercial Finance Expo held in Birmingham organised the Finance Professional Show and the recipe for success was evident in this first attempt to unify the industry for one day in Central London.
A representative from challenger bank and show sponsor, Aldermore, said: “It was great to see such a high turnout for the inaugural FP Show and we had some great business conversations with those who attended. An event which may become a ‘must’ for all finance professionals.”
Social media buzz ahead of the day and at the Show was vibrant. Twitter comments included, “the Expo is back!”, “the phone has been ringing and meetings are fixed” and “the day was a roaring success”.
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