20th October 2005

A PLACE IN THE SUN LIVE NAMED ‘BEST LAUNCH EXHIBITION’ AT
THE PRESTIGIOUS EVENT AWARDS

  • Place in the Sun Live scoops major award for debut show
  • Sees off La Dolce Vita, Taste of London and Thames Gateway Forum
  • Other winners include the Athens Olympics, MPH and Fruitstock

A Place in the Sun Live – the international property exhibition organised by Brooklands Exhibitions on behalf of Channel 4 and Freeform Productions – has been named Best Launch Exhibition 2005 in a glittering ceremony at the highly prestigious Event Awards. Scooping the Gold Trophy in the category for debut shows, A Place in the Sun Live saw off stiff short-listed competition in the form of TheThames Gateway Forum, La Dolce Vita and Taste of London.

The win caps a remarkable first year for A Place in the Sun Live that has seen the overseas property market’s flagship event break all records in establishing itself as the biggest exhibition of its type in the world. Attracting 20,817 visitors to London’s ExCeL (itself an award winner as Venue of the Year) from 1st-3rd April, the award-winning event set new standards of attendance, quality and presentation.

Mike Fletcher, Editor of Haymarket’s Event magazine, organiser of the Event awards, said A Place in the Sun Live “exemplified fresh thinking in a year of record entries” and paid tribute to the show’s “creative flair”. The award citation noted that “70% of the first show’s exhibitors had re-booked for the second show [another runaway success, held recently from 30th September-2nd October] within eight weeks of the inaugural event”.

Darren Styles, Chief Executive of Brooklands Group and its Brooklands Exhibitions subsidiary, said:

“The Event Awards was just five days after the second exhibition of our debut year and, if I’m honest, there was a lot to take in. We were still running on a high having just hosted the world’s biggest overseas property exhibition and, though hopeful, had no idea at all that we’d won. It was a fantastic surprise, a tribute to every single one of our people and, in particular, our Exhibitions Director Sarah Lowe and Operations Director Nigel Russell.

“I don’t think that, at the start of the year, we’d imagined sharing a platform with the organisers of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, Jeremy Clarkson’s MPH team or the marketing people at Innocent Drinks, all of whom were winners on the night. It was an incredible culmination to the most exciting and exhilarating period we have known as a company and a great moment for everyone associated with the A Place in the Sun brand”.

Press contact:
Gillian Green, Magellan PR, 020 8875 2850 or Gillian@magellan-pr.com