Last time Manchester hosted AVEX, The Broderick Group was known as Manchester Vending. In those days, the idea of taking a stand at the show would have been laughed out of court.
This time around, things are rather different and the company had been planning for over a year to make sure that it made the most of the opportunities incumbent in the UK’s most important show pitching up in our own back yard.
‘From our prospective, it’s been a great couple of days’, Johnny Broderick said. ‘Our aim before the show was to send our customers home happy in the knowledge that they’re working with one of the vending industry’s genuine players; with a company that’s equipped to provide expert solutions for all their food and drink requirements and that enjoys great relationships with the industry’s best suppliers…’ and after a pause for breath: ‘The feedback tells us that that’s exactly what we achieved.’
Broderick’s ‘Stand 53’ was arguably the centre of attention at AVEX. It was certainly one of the busiest, with a personal appearance by Levi Roots, who happily signed autographs, posed for selfies and chatted with an apparently endless stream of Broderick’s customers and even fellow exhibitors – keeping the spotlight firmly on Stand 53 all day Tuesday.
It was standing room only – but it wasn’t just PR froth that attracted people; Broderick’s had an exciting agenda to share with visitors to the stand. On Wednesday too, they had a string of visitors, many of them arriving by appointments made well in advance of the show.
‘We made use of AVEX to demonstrate v-commerce at its best’, Johnny said. ‘We’ve successfully embraced a brave new world of digital screens, payment systems, and fast-changing technology, so Stand 53 had something for everyone, even other operators who were interested in exploring with us how they can join the Broderick network of Mediavend powered machines.
‘It was the perfect couple of days for us’, Johnny said in conclusion. ‘It was fabulous to have so many friends, customers and suppliers join us on Tuesday for a private celebration at Manchester House and then to have the same group cheering the following evening as we collected the Vendie award of ‘Best Operator – £10m plus.’
