Views of LiftEx 2024
Lifting safety professionals and people involved in using or procuring lifting equipment from a range of industries, gathered at the West Hall at Olympia in London across 16th and 17th October 2024 for a busy and bustling LiftEx 2024.
Visitor registrations to the flagship event of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) were higher than ever and the event generated lots of discussion and content ideas, which will be explored further by LEEA and supporting partners over the coming months.
RiConnect UK, the Headline Sponsor of LiftEx 2024, was demonstrating its powerful software known as RiConnect to streamline equipment management and ensure regulatory compliance and traceability. This innovative solution seamlessly integrates with digital tags and NFC (Near Field Communication)-enabled mobile devices. Speaking at the show, the company’s Sales Director, Leanne Whitehurst-Maiden (pictured below), said: “LiftEx is really important to us. It’s a flagship event for LEEA, which is also very important to us for guidance and we rely on it for technical assistance. We’d like to continue with sponsorship in the years to come because we really believe in LEEA and in LiftEx.
“As a company we do about 52 exhibitions every year globally. LiftEx is different because of the people that we meet and the quality of the leads. Every important company within the Lifting Industry is here, so it is a fantastic event with great networking opportunities. Brand awareness is key for us as we are still a relatively new company and want to get our name out there, so being associated with LEEA and LiftEx is crucial.”
Yoke Lifting manufactures lifting fittings for chain, wire rope and webbing slings. Speaking at the show, the company’s Managing Director, Andy Charlesworth (pictured below), said: “LiftEx offers us, as a manufacturer, the opportunity to showcase new innovations that we have brought out, as well as standard products. It’s very much in tune with our business, being focussed solely on the Lifting Industry. It gives us an opportunity to discuss lifting matters in detail with other experts and to see end users.
“We decided we wanted to be a sponsor of the event this year because we are big believers in LEEA and all that it can do. We are a global brand and we recognise that LEEA is also global and out there promoting safety in the industry. It’s very important for us that we get that message across: that we can do things the correct way, working with like-minded people to provide the industry with what it needs.”
Sponsoring exhibitor Rope and Sling Specialists (RSS) was able to showcase the lifting equipment it manufactures, supplies and hires. It also provides servicing and repair as well as proof load testing and thorough examination. Its Operations Director, Paul Glover (pictured below), commented: “We’re the largest independent lifting company, and as an independent it’s important to support LEEA and to expand our customer base with new and existing customers. We’ve looked at other exhibitions but LiftEx is lifting specific and we get to target our lifting customers, so it’s very important that we come here. We need to let people know we are expanding our depot locations – from 12 to 14 next year – and our offering.”
Well attended free training sessions and presentations were delivered at the LEEA Accredited Training Scheme (ATS) seminars. Held across both days in the show floor theatre they were a key part of the visitor experience at LiftEx. Lokman Hadji, Deputy General Manager at OSCO Oil Services Company (pictured below), based in Algeria, said: “So far I have been attending a few seminars, which has been helpful because they offer more information than we usually study in books and they give examples from the field of some of the problems faced by companies. I’ve seen a lot of new technologies in the lifting field and it’s interesting to see all these manufacturers in one place and to learn from them about the different technologies and materials used.”
LEEA thanks the LiftEx 2024 visitors, exhibitors, speakers and sponsors for their support. Watch this space for details of 2025, and visit the LiftEx 2024 photo gallery at: events.leeaint.com/liftex-london-2024.
