I only heard about the Scottish Painting and Decorating Show from one of the exhibitors who was to attend, and they phoned me to ask me whether I knew anything about it?! It’s hosted by the Scottish Decorators Federation, who seem to be incompetent when it comes to marketing, because I couldn’t find anything on the show either.
There is very little information on their Facebook page and nothing on their website, which is very dated. I couldn’t even find out which manufacturers were going to be there!! So, I emailed them and sent a message through Facebook to enquire. All my messages were ignored.
I didn’t really understand their approach, but then a friend suggested the show might be “more for Scottish Decorators Federation members”, which may be why they keep the show a secret to everyone else. Although, at least three of the exhibitors I spoke to were dumbfounded from the lack of support given by the show hosts in terms of marketing.
The actual show was good. It was held at the Marriot Hotel in Edinburgh. There were probably only fifteen or twenty exhibitors, but it was very easy to talk to all of them and the rooms were laid out well. It was a friendly, inviting atmosphere and you even had free coffee. No food available unfortunately, no bar either.
The stars of the show were probably PaintTech and The Paint Shed, who put on more of a display. Toupret were there, showing off their new fillers, which I found interesting. I learned a little bit about Timbabuild, and how they’re different from their competitors. I had a great conversation with the rep from Hilton Banks about their products.
The best bit was the social aspect for me. I spend a lot of time talking to decorators online, then running into them at events. Same with manufacturers; I interact with a lot of them on the Decorators Forum UK, then get to put faces to names at events like this.
I’ll probably make the trip again next year. The Scottish Decorators Federation could easily push the show and rival the National event in Coventry if they wanted, but I get the feeling they don’t want to. Theirs is a smaller, more intimate event, which is largely attended by their own members. Fair play to them.
Well, it’s either that, or they’re just not very good at organising something like this.
Summary
Scottish Painting and Decorating Show Review - Decorator's forum UK
This show is an annual event hosted by the Scottish Decorating Federation.
Product Brand: Scottish Decorating Federation
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Pros
- No information available about the show.
- No booking system.
- No food available.
- No bar.
- It’s relatively small compared to alternative shows.
Cons
- It’s still great to attend events like this. Well worth a trip if you’re local.
It was great to meet you Mike. You may need a little more practice on the putting green though.
Yeah….. I’m not a very good loser either. Hopefully I managed to hide that well. Great to meet you too. If you ever need anything from this end, please do let me know
I agree with your comments it’s been that way for years unfortunately
Hi Mike yes it was a great talk we had about HB42 products.
I do honestly think the SDF are changing which is a breath of fresh air. I hope to meet with you again
G
Couldn’t agree more Mike, first we heard of it, and we’re one of the few paint manufacturers left in Scotland. was through a customer’s instagram post the day of the show!
It would be nice to get some more support from SDF.
A show that nobody knows about and you can’t even request information. It’s strange really. Worth checking out though. I’ll go next year