The new location was far easier to navigate around than last year’s three-floor fiasco, and by mid-morning the show’s aisles were packed. This tradeshow really is doing something very right in getting almost everyone to attend. Year on year, the aerospace sector’s appetite for all things composites is growing. This was my sixth year attending the show and without doubt it was the biggest yet. The majority of exhibitor stands were buzzing and I had to stop and wonder where all the talk of a ‘flat 2016’ comes from, when the majority of stands I visited were just so incredibly busy. “Look Mike, I'd like to stop and chat, but I've got too many customers to deal with,” was, whilst not exactly said out loud to me, implied on many occasions. And it was interesting to gauge the importance that various countries and their governments, organisations and industries placed on this year’s JEC World. Blink and you’d miss it, Great Britain’s UKTI stand was, in my opinion small in comparison to some of the other countries nearby. In my attempt to build a ‘mind map’ of the UK’s involvement, whilst some of its SMEs, R&D, and organisational bodies are arguably leading the world, there seemed to be a lack of exhibitor support from home-grown, British-owned companies willing to put themselves in the JEC spotlight. Expensive? Well yes, but what better way is there to win more business on the world stage? What are you waiting for? Is there anybody out there? Mike Richardson, editor
