TCT Show 2016 opens with some big news.
As if TCT Show wasn’t already one of the busiest weeks of the year for our team, today the TCT Group held a press conference to announce some big news about its global publications, events and partnerships.
Kicking off what is shaping up to be another successful edition of our flagship event, Duncan Wood, COO Rapid News Communications Group, owner of the TCT Group, announced that next year’s show will mark the start of a permanent 3-day event with a change of hall at the NEC, Birmingham to allow a massive 30% increase in floor space. TCT Show 2017 will also see the reintroduction of the popular Inspired Minds Children’s Programme, a bigger Start-Up Zone focussed on innovators and the launch of the TCT Annual Awards.
The new annual awards event will be THE global black-tie event that recognises the best in the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry. The event will take place at the Birmingham Town Hall and will feature an additive Hall of Fame. Look out for more details in the coming months.
In addition, the TCT print portfolio has grown substantially over the last few years with the launch of a North America Edition magazine and TCT Asia Event Insight publication last year to better serve both of these major markets. Today, that product portfolio has expanded once again with the launch of a new German-language print magazine. To complement the Group’s presence in Germany with formnext powered by tct in partnership with Mesago, this dedicated magazine will address TCT’s growing audience in the German-speaking region.
James Woodcock, TCT’s Head of Content commented during the event about the magazine launch: “We pride ourselves on lowering the barriers to access to the information we produce”.
Perhaps saving the biggest until last, the other major news during the press conference was the expansion of the TCT Group to Korea. Following the signing of an MOU agreement yesterday with CECO, an exhibition organiser in Korea, and VNU Rapid News, the Group revealed it is moving into the Korean market with a 3 step plan, starting with a Korea Pavilion at the annual TCT Asia event in Shanghai (which next year will move to the SNEIC exhibition centre in Shanghai with a 50% bigger show floor), followed by a 2 day conference at MATOF in 2017. The first TCT Korea event will take place in 2018.
In addition to these big announcements, the TCT Group’s partners from SME and Mesago provided updates on their respective events in North America (RAPID + TCT) and Germany (formnext powered by tct) with Debbie Holton, VP of Events, Industry Strategy at SME speaking of how “the plus factor” in these partnerships is truly driving the awareness and adoption of additive technologies forward.
Things are showing no signs of slowing down at TCT and this week's TCT event reflects that with a super busy show floor exhibiting more launches and UK debuts than ever before and an enviable two-day conference agenda that has already had visitors eagerly cramming into the back of the packed conference theatre to hear how additive technologies are being applied today.
For more updates on this week's TCT Show action, follow up on Twitter @TheTCTMagazine.
