SMMEX Buyers' Directory

Check out our brand new source book for all your merchandise and marketing needs! Click the following link to see the Spring/Summer 13 issue online: http://tinyurl.com/cbgola9

THANK YOU!...

... to those that came and even those who couldn't make it. SMMEX 2013 at Wembley Stadium was supported by visitors from over 20 countries. We will return to Wembley Stadium on Monday the 10th March 2014 and I hope that we will see you there!

A big thank you to all of our exhibitors, our contractors and all that made SMMEX 2013 possible! With of course special thanks to our sponsors BAGS - Bags 4 Keeps - Daniel Blake - www.bags4keeps.co.uk PENS - Erga - Elena Borsoi - www.ergaonline.com PIES - Piglets Pantry - Joanna Philips - www.piglets-pantry.co.uk Lanyards - Dizayn Etiket a.s - Hakan Altan - www.dizaynetiket.com

Wild Thang

Visit Wild Thang Merchandise Experts on Stand No. 55 & 56. REGISTER FOR FREE BOOT BRANDING & THE CHANCE TO WIN 500 pounds worth OF SPORTS MERCHANDISE. Wild Thang will be showcasing: Screen Printing - Club Merchandise - Transfers - Membership Packs - Embroidery - Fulfillment - Team Numbers - Promotional Items - Uniforms - Team Kits - Sportswear - Displays - Box Sets - Promotional Merchandise, your total Branding Partners!

Love Ur Team

New for SMMEX 2013 - LoveUrTeam brings together the very best of exciting and innovative Sports Fan products from the largest sports merchandise market in the world, North America. With a focus on Fan products that are a little different, LoveUrTeam gives you access to a wide range of merchandise opportunities through a single point of contact and allows you to ensure your fans Don't Hide The Pride! Whether you are looking for new product licensing opportunities, expanding your retail range or simply searching for a high impact product for your team, tournament, festival or company event then visit stand 51 and they will be delighted to help. LoveUrTeam - the very best in North American Fan Products, remember Don't Hide The Pride!!

Application REALflex-ClubSkin

The REALFLEX-ClubSkin is the sensible and effective connection between functionality and emotion - a worldwide unique innovation. When carried on both arms they will provide extreme and complete reflective surfaces. The moving limbs will amplify the efficiency of the reflective REALFLEX arms. BEST INNOVATION AWARD - Merchandising Messe Hamburg 2013.

Wembley launch for Wembley Final: 50 Champions League Balls to be given away at SMMEX

Great Branding celebrates the launch of its UEFA Champions League retail range by giving away 50 Champions League balls at SMMEX. To be the lucky recipient of one of the balls, just visit Great Branding on STAND 13 and pick up a copy of Great Branding's latest catalogue - but hurry! First come, first served! Great Branding is proud to launch the new range of apparel and novelty items at Wembley. The Champions League final takes place in Wembley this year on 25th May - the most prestigious club competition in European football, with 178+ millions likely tuning into the final, broadcast in over 70 countries with commentaries in more than 40 languages. As Official Licence Partner of UEFA, Great Branding provides sportswear, fanwear and souvenir products to 80 of Europe's leading football clubs, including Manchester United, Barcelona and FC Bayern, and for both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. Great Branding in-house design team has created a fantastic range of UEFA branded sportswear and accessories every football fan will want.

Piglet's Pantry

Piglet's Pantry sells on average 10,000 pies to Brighton & Hove Albion's AMEX Stadium every home game, winner of 4 gold awards at The British Pie Awards, silver at the Football Hospitality Awards and Highly Commended at the inaugural Football Business Awards. "Piglet's Pantry provides high quality products with 100% of our beef produced in farms from Scotland, our Customers expect just that little bit more and we work in partnership with club's in the UK to achieve this. We very much look forward to sharing some of our delicious wares at the event"

Pop uP Power

Power concealed underground when not needed is being installed at venues across the UK. A recent venue choosing Pop uP Power is Wembley with an installation in Arena Square meaning available power for outdoor events. Ten of the units have been installed and Charlie Shun, Wembley's head of special projects, said: "The system is a practical, flexible way to provide electrical power to external open spaces." Mike Brown of Pop uP Power added: "Our units give the power when you need it and open space when you don't." Pop uP Power Supplies products operate silently and are accessible 24 hours. See them at stand 223.

Leach Colour

Leach Colour produces unique graphics, signage and displays for the retail, visitor-attraction, museum and leisure sectors. The creativity, workmanship and service, coupled with Leach Colour's innovative products like vault, framelesslite and award-winning stik, have earned them an enviable reputation around the world. Whether you're looking for internal or external graphics, they'll work with you to develop the ideal solution. Go and visit them on stand 109.

Rosetta Brands: Flair Hair

Straight from the States, Flair Hair will be on display at SMMEX for the first time courtesy of Rosetta Brands. Already working with some fantastic sports clubs here in the UK and iconic golfers around the World, the Flair Hair is a great novelty yet practical gift. Grab them in your team colours or keep natural hair colours and brand the cap. See the range on stand 240 on level 2.

Absolute Genuine: The Ultimate Souvenir

By using football sweatshirts, worn by players during games or through a whole season, they create the ultimate souvenir. The t-shirts are cut into small pieces and packed into a kind of player's plaque, which also can be used as a key chain. The plaque is delivered in a box, which contains a picture of the t-shirt in a whole, a certificate of authenticity which certifies that the t-shirt has been worn at a match and also tells about the player using it. Every plaque is given a unique identity number and by entering this number of identification on Absolute Genuine's web page you will be able to get more information about the sweater and at the same time see exactly where onto the shirt the piece was cut from.

ThinkPrint

Thinkprint - specialists in sports marketing and printed products invite you to attend their stand at SMMEX on the 4th March, the team look forward to meeting you and there is an opportunity to win some great prizes - come and see ThinkPrint on Stand 268 - they look forward to seeing you.

Rosetta Brands

Rosetta Brands have teamed up with American brand The Game Face Company to produce a unique full face temporary tattoo. Made to last all weather conditions and fit all different sizes, show your support with a team branded custom made mask. See the full stand on stand 240 at SMMEX.

Sneak Peek at SMMEX 2013!

Take a look at just a sample of the fab products and services you can see at Wembley Stadium on Monday 4th March: http://tinyurl.com/asl4msq

Put Your Colours Where Your Mouth Is!

Rosetta Brands will be exhibiting at SMMEX with some of the best novelty and creative items for any sports fan. Make a statement and "Put Your Colours Where Your Mouth Is" with Team Teeth, a unique item to show your support for your team.

Panstadia & Arena Management

As of January 24 2013, PanStadia has joined forces with Alad's Stadium & Arena Management magazine to create the super-title 'PanStadia & Arena Management', making it the undisputed leader for the business of stadia, arenas, sporting events and venues across the globe.

Northern Flags

The UK arm of Faber Vlaggen, Northern Flags, are Europe's leader in fabric branding and POS and are able produce anything in fabric to your specific requirements. Their range includes feather flags, fence scrim, crowd barriers, pop out banners and much, much more. Northern Flags have a long history of providing recyclable fabric based branding for many international events, from exhibitions and conferences to marathons and football tournaments.

Leach Colour

Leach Colour produces unique graphics, signage and displays for the retail, sport, museum and visitor-attraction sectors. Their creativity, workmanship and service, coupled with their innovative products like VAULT, FRAMELESSLITE and award-winning STIK, have earned them an enviable reputation around the world. Leach Colour have dedicated departments that take care of graphic design, 3D design & manufacture, print and production, project management, logistics and installation, all working to CDM and ISO standards. Whether you're looking for internal or external graphics, they'll work with you to develop the ideal solution. www.leachcolour.com

Full Moon Wheels

Full Moon Wheels will exhibit its fantastic alloy wheel particularly designed for the FC community at SMMEX, March 4 at Wembley Stadium. The elegant wheel, patterned on the classic black and white football, will enhance the look of any automobile and mark the owner's passion, Dan Bell, president of the US-based company, said. "We are very excited to bring our football wheel to the birthplace of football and we believe it will be appreciated" Bell said. "We plan to offer custom centre caps to clubs and individuals by SMMEX." The football wheel currently is available in 18" and 20" sizes with either a traditional polished alluminum-and-black face or a vibrant black face with red trim.

Arena Imaging

Arena Imaging provides the sporting industry with unique and innovative photographic products and services. They have a wealth of experience within the sporting arena spanning a multitude of top level sports from Premiership and Football League clubs, international cricket, world class rugby and elite ice hockey teams to name a few.

Clap-Banner

Clap-Banner was looking for a product to assist with crowd participation and atmosphere at the Great Britain Volleyball Events. Following recommendation from other event organisers they tried the Clap-Banner. It was an instant success. They placed a GB flag on 1 side with a 'Come on GB' message on the other which supplemented the obvious use of the Clap-Banners to make significant noise. Whilst making its debut at the GB events this year it has already become an essential part of the support team at their events.

Wild Thang: 007 USB Pen

To celebrate 50 years of Bond, Wild Thang has introduced a stylish 007 themed USB Pen, as close to a 007 pen you are ever going to get! In true Bond style, 3 uses are better than 1, especially with this innovative gadget. With the hidden flash drive in the centre of the pen, all your documents remain as secret as you like. Look cool, calm and collected with the metal twist action ball point pen, perfect for signing your Coutts cheques at the casino. Finally the touch screen stylus, works on all capacitive touch screens Bond gadgets; the sensitive stylus tip gives ultra smooth navigation.

Spotted: Seal and Henry Flash the Finger for Ultimate Hands

Go team! Seal enjoyed a boy's night out with eldest son Henry, 5 and a half, in Los Angeles on April 17 when the pair showed their support to the Lakers at the Staples Centre with an Ultimate Hand. Despite their courtside encouragement, the New Orleans Hornets took the win, 109-100.

Air & Ground: Emergency Lighting-Prism Inflatable Light

Used by emergency service providers across the globe, the Prism Inflatable Light is lightweight, portable and illuminates an area of up to two football fields in less than four minutes. The PIL1000 weighs only 25kg, requires just one user to operate, and can be carried to the most remote locations. It is your essential tool for providing glare-free operational light when you need it most.

Tree Fu Tom joins Rainbow Productions' character portfolio

Tree Fu Tom is one of the latest children's characters to join the Rainbow Productions' portfolio of brands represented under licence and supplied for Meet and Greet personal appearances at UK events. The Tree Fu Tom television series launched on CBeebies in May 2012 and follows the adventures in Treetopolis of Tom - an ordinary boy with a magic belt.

Eye catcher on the pitch!

Signgrass synthetic grass mats are designed to integrate into artificial turf pitches to showcase logos and brands in an effective way. Farum Park Stadium is the home ground of Danish soccer side FC Nordsjaelland - winner of the Danish Superliga 2012 and participant in the UEFA Champions League. The venue will soon become the first stadium in Denmark to host Premier League matches on a FIFA-approved artificial turf pitch. To create a point of difference and brand awareness at FCN's home ground, the club decided to have several club logos incorporated into the artificial grass including a 11m-long 'FC-Nordsjaelland' banner. FCN is very pleased with the end result and it has exceeded their expectations.

Eternity Football

Eternity Football is a leading supplier of innovative fashion wear into the football industry. They are the market leader in both design and quality. The company supplies over 48 professional football clubs across 13 European countries including UK. The range offers over 20 product categories across thousands of styles covering all Football leisure and fan wear. All their products are created and developed by the in house design team at Head Office in Manchester. Eternity Football is committed to providing customers with the best possible products, the latest designs, and outstanding quality and service.

Service Graphics wins BBC contract

Service Graphics part of St Ives plc, London, won a multiple awardees contract award from British Broadcasting Corporation for the supply of exhibitions and display equipment. No contract amount was specified. The statement said: "The BBC has an ongoing requirement to promote both its content and other activities (including educational and cultural campaigns, and community initiatives) amongst a wide variety of audiences, and an effective method of doing so is through various live events and exhibitions. One of the key elements in a successful communications campaign is to visually build and develop brand awareness via this route.

Heathcotes Outside sign up to Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation

Heathcotes Outside, the specialist event catering division of The Lindley Group which manages the catering and hospitality at Warrington Wolves' Halliwell Jones Stadium, has become the latest Business Patron to support The Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation. Recently established to engage local businesses with a passion for making a difference in the Warrington Community, The Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation aims to help young people of Warrington reach and fulfill their potential through a wide variety of initiatives ranging from creating a cookery skills programme through to setting up a media project connecting local media professionals with budding sports reporters.

Plastic Gift Cards: Making Christmas Easy for Everyone

It's the same every Christmas; there is always one family member or friend who is difficult to buy for: you spend inordinate amounts of time hunting for the perfect gift which will either be returned to the store for credit or sneakily recycled and passed on to someone else next Christmas! With this in mind, retailers across the UK are now stocking up on plastic gift cards, ready for the Christmas shopping rush. Not only do people love plastic gift cards but retails love them too. According to recent reports an estimated 25% of gift cards go un-redeemed for at least 12 months following their purchase and at least 7% do not get used at all. All these unused gifts represent free money to the retailers which sell them!

NSPCC Golf Event Day

Like last year, House of Flags printed and supplied all the parabola hole banners used at the event, entirely free of charge. The parabola banners were used to display each of the different holes around the 18 hole Stock Brook Manor and Country Club Championship course. They also displayed the various sponsors of the event, including Essex Audi Group.

Smiffy's Support Fashion for the Brave 2012

Smiffy's recently united with the major charity British Forces Foundation. The established organisation held a 'Fashion for the Brave' evening at the prestigious Dorchester Hotel in London and Smiffy's were more than happy to kit out models for British themed night.

Love Rugby League...

...is looking for new sponsors and partners after a hugely successful 2012 which saw visitor numbers increase by 112%. The website is one of the leading rugby league websites on the web, and continues to service an increasing number of fans with the latest news, views, live scores, stats and information from Super League, the Championships, NRL and beyond. With the 2013 World Cup on the horizon, there hasn't been a better time to expose your brand to one of the most passionate fan bases in sport. A range of advertising packages are now available, enabling you to take advantage of a social media reach of more than 35,000, and a member base of more than 12,000, who engage with the site through several features, including the most popular Fantasy Rugby League on the web.

Summer Newsletter

With 4 months until the event we wanted to update you on all things SMMEX so far! Check out the link below to see how SMMEX 2013 is already taking shape: http://issuu.com/smmexevent.com/docs/smmex_2013_summer_newsletter?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222

6 SMMEX Sectors

We have expanded SMMEX for 2013, creating 6 key areas for all corporate brands, retailers and sports clubs from all levels to benefit * MERCHANDISE * MARKETING * DIGITAL * INTERACTIVE/FAN ENGAGEMENT * RETAIL * MUSEUMS AND TOURS * Be part of it today!

Rainbow Productions showing their support for Team GB!

Pride the Lion was unveiled by the British Olympic Association as the Official Team GB mascot for the 2012 Olympic Games. In the run up to the Games he's been attending events across the country, encouraging people to join him in supporting Team GB. Pride the Lion is pictured during Games Time with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and members of Team GB.

Barclays Ticket Office praises Instant Marquees inflatable tents

Barclays have been using Instant Marquees' tents for the past 37 weeks for their Barclays Ticket Office campaign where they have travelled up and down the UK. "The tents have really stood up to the challenge and I am very impressed that they have held against the test of time."

Keep your favourite team with you always

Full wrap, high resolution, digital print. Even on the barrel of the pen ERGA can reproduce the pictures of any sport event, protagonist or symbol, with an amazing photo-realistic quality. An incredibly cost-efficient item to satisfy any budget

Make a Statement!

Make a statement with the 20" UltimateHand! Weighing less than 1 lb, this foam finger has multiple uses. Display in dorm, home or office. Take it to the tailgate, wave it in the stands, collect signatures, give as a gift or award. They can customise your UltimateHand today!

Party on with Smiffy's

Designer and distributor of party fashion and accessories, Smiffy's are able to offer a fantastic range of bespoke and branded products suitable for all sporting events and supporters. Smiffy's portfolio includes some of the leading names in the UK sports industry and welcomes the opportunity to work with new partners worldwide.

SMMEX Debut a Success

Following a fantastic debut at SMMEX 2012 the latest Sports Fan products WARFACE & EyeBlack will be back at SMMEX 2013. Since their European launch these exciting & innovative products have been selected by clubs across Football, Rugby, Cricket & Ice Hockey, and have featured in several international sporting events.

Show offs!

Thermopatch will be showing off a number of transfers at SMMEX 2013. The first being their figurehead transfer, Subflix, which is now being used by a number of premiership football teams. The second is Flextrans with block out, as pictured - Oxford United.

Dennis Law thought they were selling perfume...

Earlier in the year Ros and Tom Barker of Stadium Sculpture exhibited at the Soccerex European Forum in Manchester, where among the visitors to their stand were Rafa Benitez and Dennis Law. Ros of Stadium Sculpture was taken aback when asked by Law if she was "selling perfume"... "Perhaps our branding needs to be a little less Stella McCartney and a little more Tate Modern" she commented. Since that event Stadium Sculpture have been busy developing new products to complement their bespoke bronze sculptures. These new products will be released at SMMEX in 2013 and Ros, for one, is making sure the message will be loud and clear!

SMMEX Takes To The Ice

Here at SMMEX, we are always looking for growing sports in the UK and inviting the clubs and associations to our event and being part of the experience. Helping find these new teams is our newest media partner British Ice Hockey. British Ice Hockey is the long-standing home of ice hockey news on the web, bringing together the latest from the Elite League, English Premier League and English National League. Well positioned within the game, it continues to develop, and also offers website and PR services to clubs visit www.britishicehockey.co.uk

We Love Rugby

SMMEX are proud to announce a new partnership with Love Rugby League for 2013. With the World Cup in England and Ireland in 2013, we want to help all grass root and professional teams source new products and services. Love Rugby League is one of the leading rugby league news outlets in the UK, breaking the latest news and views, live scores and stats, club information and much more. We work with clubs, partners and sponsors to help them with content generation, social media management and raise awareness of the sport in general visit www.loverugbyleague.com

Wild Thang are Tennis Nuts!!

Wild Thang are tennis nuts for the 6th Year in a row, joining forces with The Liverpool International Tennis Tournament to once again become an official sponsor and merchandise/print provider for the tournament which is now in its 10th year. Andrew Dwerryhouse MD at Wild Thang commented: "It's a perfect match to give Wild Thang the opportunity to showcase its products & services throughout the tournament. Anders has done a fantastic job over the years and should be very proud to be seeing in the tournaments 10th year. We think this is a great example of companies & events supporting each other by working together regardless of the continued tough economic times. When are you going to get another opportunity to see and have an association with such tennis icons?" "Every single piece of branding for the tournament will have been produced by Wild Thang with ACE limited edition merchandise and clothing range made available throughout the tournament & online, including the programme, branded t-shirt's, giant tennis balls, caps & much more. As part of the range we have once again linked up with renowned artist Phil Disley to produce the official tennis nuts t-shirts which we think perfectly sums up the tournament & possibly Anders in more ways than one"

Display Solutions A Hit!

At SMMEX 2012 Arena Imaging showcased their display solution for lower priced products, which was very well received. We are please to share with you an image of the unit and their ideas. You can display lots of different products and offer your customers a good selection of low priced items which are also easy for the customers to carry on match day. The hooks are ideal for: - Panoramic Fridge Magnets (with stand) - Strut Mounted Photographic Prints - Framed Desktop Montages - Frames Desktop Panoramics - 6x4 Photographs in Card Frames

Olympic Year! Olympic Show! Olympic Success!

As the doors close for another successful SMMEX – Sports Merchandise and Marketing Exhibition, we are already looking ahead to 2013 with the Rugby League World Cup and the Rugby Union World Cup set to take place in England across the course of the next 3 years. Attendance figures were up 10% from 2011 and exhibitor numbers were the highest ever, making 2012 our most exciting show yet. With visitors from over 20 countries stretching as far as Canada, USA, Brazil and Tokyo, exhibitors had the chance to meet clubs, retailers, brands and distributors from all different sporting disciplines at mixed professional and grass root levels. A new element to this years show saw more specialists in epos/till systems, marketing services and digital technology. New features included digital mannequins, a club branded car, electronic sign boards and outdoor signage for stadium car parks and event locations. This area will develop for SMMEX 2013, which will be back at Wembley Stadium on Monday 4th March 2013. For anyone looking to book their stand location for next years show and benefit from an early bird discount get in contact with Michael or Alex by Monday 26th March on +44 (0)20 7821 8221 or Michael@smmexevent.com

Arvato Success At SMMEX

We are delighted to hear that arvato entertainment Europe the global outsource experts had fantastic success at SMMEX 2012, their first UK sports exhibition. Not only did arvato deliver a prominent interactive stand that proved successful with a strong amount of traffic throughout the exhibition, they also sponsored the pre show networking event and dinner. Simon Staines, Executive Director at arvato Entertainment Europe, said: "We were very impressed with SMMEX and the platform it gave us to engage the sports market. The level and caliber of the visitors was perfect for our proposition and we opened a number of very interesting opportunities with some of the key clubs. Our services allowing customers to maximise their merchandising margins, open up new markets like China and explore new revenue opportunities in the digital environment were of particular interest." This was arvato sports first real exposure in the UK sports market and the first stage of its plan to revolutionise the outsource market in the sports sector using its global infrastructure and digital experience to benefit its customers.