The FSPA has announced the dates and venues for its first rugby stock rooms. Extensive research and planning has been carried out with both potential exhibitors and retailers on the time of year and venues for these events. The general consensus was that it would be best for both to take place within the same week. With this in mind, two excellent venues and dates have now been arranged:
• The northern rugby stockrooms will take place at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, in the International Suite on Tuesday, January 23, 2007.
• The southern rugby stockrooms will take place at Twickenham in the North Tryline Stand, Ground level on Thursday, January 25, 2007.
Both shows will run from 10.30am to 4.30pm.
The selected venues provide a pleasant contrast and between them have hosted huge events for both rugby codes. Old Trafford has staged the Rugby League Grand Final since 1998 and the stadium enjoys a global reputation as a world-class sporting venue.
Twickenham is the home of England rugby union and is the second largest stadium in the UK with a capacity of 75,000 – bettered only by Old Trafford. Both venues have excellent selling points with museums, excellent catering facilities, stadium tours, easy access and large parking areas.
You can optimise your time by visiting many of the major rugby brands all under one roof and see the latest apparel, footwear and training aids on the market – a must-see for retailers in the lead-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Confirmed exhibitors to date include Gilbert, Steeden, Optimum, Mizuno, BrandCo, McDavid, Samurai, LineBreak, Asics, Vulkan and Sorbothane.
For an up-to-date list of exhibitors keep checking http://www.sportsandplay.com/news/stockrooms.asp
In order for everything to run smoothly, the FSPA requests that you pre-register for the event you want to visit. They’re free to attend and you are not committed if you pre-register, but it will help FSPA to make the appropriate car parking and catering arrangements. Pre-registering will also save you time on the day and will allow FSPA to keep you informed about both events in the coming weeks. To pre-register visit http://www.sportsandplay.com/news/rugbyregister.asp or contact Ben Prince at the FSPA for a form.
Because rugby is such a diverse sport in terms of equipment, three stands are being offered at different sizes and costs to cater for a range of exhibitors. It is still not too late to exhibit at the event and if you would like information on stands contact Ben either by email (ben@sportsandplay.com) or by calling 02476 414999, ext 205.
