CALGARY, Alberta - At a time when many North American trade shows are experiencing declining exhibitor participation and delegate attendance, the recent CIPHEX West trade show and conference in Calgary bucked this trend. CIPHEX West, produced by the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH), attracted almost 3,000 industry delegates to the BMO Center at Stampede Park on Nov. 3-4, 2010. Attendees came from across Alberta as well as Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories.

“We are ecstatic with the support we received from our exhibitors and show attendees, confirming the strength of the plumbing and heating industry in western Canada,” said Elizabeth McCullough, general manager of trade shows for CIPH. “Attendance increased by 7 percent over the last CIPHEX event held in 2008, and engineer participation increased by 91 percent. In fact, we had the highest number of engineers who have ever attended a CIPHEX West show,” McCullough reported. “They were joined by contractors, wholesalers, government and municipal representatives, property managers, architects, home builders, and designers.”

At the show, Brian Sexton of NatureZone Environmental Solutions said, “CIPHEX West is awesome so far. It’s given us opportunities to reach into a marketplace that was basically undiscovered by us.”

Exhibitor Richard Holbrook of CCTF Corp. said the 2010 show was better than 2008, with “more contractors, more wholesalers, and the walk-in traffic has been wonderful.”

Publication date: 01/10/2011