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Ben Fogle, James Cracknell OBE and Ordnance Survey come together for the new ‘National Outdoor Expo’ 27th – 28th March 2021 – NEC, Birmingham

Posted on by Darren Pinder

Raccoon Events, the Event Management company behind the award-winning National Running Shows (Birmingham, London and Paris) is launching a new consumer outdoor show in 2021. The National Outdoor Expo will take place on the 27th and 28th March 2021 at the NEC, Birmingham.

The inaugural show has already signed up world-class inspirational speakers including broadcaster, writer and adventurer Ben Fogle, sportsman, athlete and adventurer James Cracknell OBE, adventurer and extreme endurance athlete Sean Conway and endurance runner Susie Chan, as well as signing up the Ordnance Survey as a main show partner.

‘We’re delighted to be supporting the launch of the first National Outdoor Expo in 2021, and are hugely excited to see the whole of the outdoor community coming together in one place. At OS, helping more people to get outside more often is at the heart of our business, and we think this is just what outdoor enthusiasts need to get them even more inspired!’  Nick Giles, Managing Director OS Leisure.

The National Outdoor Expo ethos is ‘Empowering you to Get Outside and Get Active’ – research shows believe that an active outdoor lifestyle helps people live longer, stay younger and enjoy life more. The National Outdoor Expo will be a destination for outdoor enthusiasts and provide all of the inspiration, kit, tech, nutrition and advice to help you thrive in an active outdoor lifestyle.

The National Outdoor Expo will be packed full of interactive features, inspiring talks and the very latest gear for you to try and buy, all under one roof. The show will have five key areas: walking, climbing, cooking, camping and running.

The event has the endorsement of the Outdoor Industries Association (OIA) – ‘Our mission to ‘Get Britain Active Outside’ requires inspiration, and what Raccoon Events have done at the National Running Expo certainly shows they can do that! They have a fresh, innovative approach to consumer expos’ and we are excited to be working with them to drive forward the industry and support more consumers being active outdoors’ said Andrew Denton, CEO, Outdoor Industries Association.

Leading outdoor specialist PR agency Media Contact Services (MCS) has been appointed to handle the public relations activity for the show launch.  Starting with immediate effect, MCS has been retained to support the launch of the new show to trade and consumer audiences, working with trade and consumer media and journalists to ensure the launch show is a success.

Mike Seaman, CEO, Raccoon Events said: ‘We believe that there is a gap in the market for a large-scale consumer event for people that are interested in an active outdoor lifestyle and we are excited to replicate our success in the running market with this new event launch. I am passionate about getting people active outdoors and I want us to create a community-lead consumer show that is exciting, inclusive and will help to grow the market. The event will have a strong focus on sustainability and has been set up to support the market that we serve with donations to both the OIA and charities that encourage being active outdoors. The outdoor industry has been incredibly supportive of our plans and it is heartening to see how many organisations have already confirmed their participation despite us not officially launching until March!’

If you are interested in finding out about exhibition or sponsoring the Expo, please get in touch with Mike Seaman at [email protected]

Raccoon Events launches first international event in Paris

Posted on by Darren Pinder

Raccoon Events, organiser of the EN Indy award-winning National Running Show, has launched its first international show in Paris, France. The event, held at the Paris-Porte de Versailles on the 9th and 10th of January 2021, will bring together top running brands, tech and nutrition and provide access to an impressive panel of expert speakers including Christophe Lemaitre, Pascal Martinot Lagarde and Renelle Lamotte.

This event is the third in the National Running Show suite, joining its sister events in London and Birmingham, which attract over 37,500 visitors annually, and is the only show of its kind providing a unique opportunity for running brands to get in front of their targeted audience at the beginning of the running season.

The iconic venue set in the heart of Paris, just minutes from the Eiffel Tower, is renowned in the industry for hosting some of the most prestigious events in France and provides state-of-the-art facilities as well as making the most the buzz of central Paris.

The event will adopt the same approach that has made the National Running Show a multi-award winning event, providing inspiration, practical and relevant content for runners of all levels, coupled with a vibrant exhibition and scheduled at the right time of the year when runners start their training journey ahead of the upcoming running season and key races.

Aurore Braconnier, COO at Raccoon Events commented, “Running has become the fastest growing segment of the sports market in France and was valued at 850 million Euros last year. There are an estimated 13.5 million runners in France and the market has almost doubled in the last four years, making it one of the biggest markets in Europe and a natural next step for Raccoon Events. We are a team of runners and we have built a great community of brands and experts over the last three years, who are dedicated to making running as accessible as possible regardless of ability.

“We believe our offer is unique, innovative and that there is a real space for our event to support a growing running population, constantly looking for the latest gear and technology. France felt like a natural next step for The National Running Show brand and we have a real opportunity to reach tens of thousands of runners in our first year.”

For more information about The National Running Show Paris visit www.francerunningshow.fr.

The National Running Show wins at EN Indy Awards 2019

Posted on by Darren Pinder

The National Running Show has come away with two awards at the EN Indy Awards 2019 which took place on Friday 11th October at The Honourable Artillery Company in London.

The EN Indy Awards is an awards scheme dedicated to recognising the achievements of independent organiser shows, teams and individuals.

Raccoon Events claimed the award for Best Consumer Show for The National Running Show Birmingham for the second year running, in a competitive category looking to credit one show that has met the consumer challenge by delivering a superb visitor experience. Creative marketing initiatives, year-on-year success and originality were key qualities recognised.

The Run Clinic at The National Running Show Birmingham went on to take the award for Best Show Feature. One of many interactive features at The National Running Show offering visitors a hands-on experience, The Run Clinic enables runners to identify their running technique patterns and link these movement patterns to potential injury or running inefficiency. It has proved an excellent way for runners to get active and involved in this full weekend dedicated to running.

The National Running Show is the UK’s biggest independent running show, offering runners the unique opportunity to try out and purchase the latest products and limited editions from big, well-known brands through to smaller brands not found anywhere else. The Birmingham show expects more than 55,000 visitor ticket registrations for 2020, all of whom will be able to discover the latest kit, tech, nutrition and races from over 250 exhibitors, learn from inspiring speakers and improve their running technique thanks to the hands-on feature areas.

An exciting development for Raccoon Events is the expansion of the event to include The National Running Show London, taking place on 13th-14th June 2020 at the Business Design Centre.

Over 300 industry professionals attended the EN Indy Awards 2019 to celebrate the very best talent in the exhibition industry. Mike and the team were there to collect their awards and it proved to be a lively afternoon of networking and praise for the many organisations and companies present.

Mike Seaman, CEO of Raccoon Events, commented: “We are over the moon to have won two awards at the prestigious EN Indy Awards 2019. As we prepare for our third show in Birmingham in January it is wonderful to be recognised in this way. I would like to thank my entire team who have worked so hard and been key to the show’s success. We launched the show believing that there was a gap in the market for an independent running expo and we have received an overwhelming response from the running community, which is great incentive for us to deliver a superior event year on year.”

The third edition of The National Running Show Birmingham takes place on 25th-26th January 2020. Tickets cost £10 and are valid for both days. Go to nationalrunningshow.reg.buzz to secure your ticket.

The National Running Show London takes place on 13th-14th June 2020. Tickets are currently free and are available at nationalrunningshowlondon.reg.buzz.

The National Running Show B2B Networking Dinner takes place at 7pm on Saturday 25th January. Go to nationalrunningdinner.com for information and tickets.

Raccoon Events announces key appointments and new launches

Posted on by Raccoon Events

Raccoon Events, the company behind the multi award-winning National Running Show, has announced a series of key appointments and new event launches.

Strengthening the board further will be three new appointments: Ralph Collett as Chairman, Aurore Braconnier as COO and Matthew Lambert as Operations Director.

Between them, they boast a wealth of experience within the exhibitions industry. Ralph Collett has over 25 years’ industry experience including senior positions at Closer Still, UBM, William Reed, RBI and Kernal Events. Aurore Braconnier brings over 14 years of experience in the exhibitions industry in the UK and France, working for companies such as UBM and Clarion whilst also leading Closer Still Media’s growth in France. Matthew Lambert also benefits from 25 years in the exhibitions industry and is Managing Director for Maelstrom Event Solutions, a company managing 50 events each year.

Technical Director Darren Pinder and Commercial Director Addie Price, both founding directors of Raccoon Events, will remain on the board, while Mike Seaman will move to CEO. Rebecca Richardson will continue her working relationship with Raccoon Events as a Strategic Consultant on Major Brand, Sports Retailer and Media Partnerships.

Nathalie Davies will be promoted to Event Director for the run portfolio.

The strengthening of the management team at Raccoon Events is an important step forward for this dynamic, high-growth events business focused on health and wellbeing markets.

The in-house expertise that the new appointments bring will support plans for aggressive but sustainable growth in local and international markets. As part of this growth, Raccoon Events will be moving into a new, larger office space and recruiting additional staff to work across two new initial event launches.

Mike Seaman, CEO of Raccoon Events, commented, “We are delighted to announce three key appointments to Raccoon Events and are privileged to welcome the breadth of experience that Ralph, Aurore and Matt will bring.

“This extra firepower will enable us to launch two new events this year, including our first geo-clone and a second brand-new event that will be announced imminently.

“We have ambitious plans for the business and these appointments are an important first step in our development towards becoming a market leading event organiser in the health and wellbeing space.”