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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.”