Here, in the second part of two reports, CFJ talks about its visit to Bostik’s Pro Floor roadshow in Glasgow, and what Carpet & Flooring and Tarkett got out of the event.
By HARRIET WHITAKER | MOTHERWELL
IN last month’s edition, I wrote about being invited to the roadshow of one of the flooring industry’s well-known manufacturers of subfloor preparation products and adhesives, Bostik. The show took place at the Dakota Hotel in Motherwell, near Glasgow, and I had the opportunity to speak to some of the company’s big-hitters.
To recap, Grant Bostock, communications manager, told me: ‘A lot has been happening at Bostik recently. There have been several changes to the product range, as well as the introduction of the Bostik Academy training centre. There’s also been changes in terms of the team too, with people such as Steve Thornton joining us, so there’s much to talk about. The roadshow is about coming to places like this where you can speak to contractors directly to give advice, answer questions, and discuss the latest developments at Bostik.’
Hannah Cooper, communications assistant, says this approach is all about getting Bostik’s name out there. ‘Last year we toured different places and took part in 20-30 events, we want to achieve that this year too.’
When asked what the brand expects from the show, Grant said: ‘It’s an opportunity to create new contacts and to speak with existing customers. It’s also good to work alongside distribution partners and other manufacturers such as Carpet & Flooring and Tarkett, as we can showcase how we can work together, meet new customers, and demonstrate the latest innovations. It’s not always easy to get demos out to people, but here we have the facilities to do that.’
This month, I’ll report on my interviews with Tarkett and Carpet & Flooring.
I asked Ross Dight, technical director of Tarkett, for his thoughts on the roadshow: ‘Events like this are so important to the flooring industry. It’s important to collaborate with distribution partners such as Carpet & Flooring and manufacturers such as Bostik because we can network and learn about the challenges they’re facing. It’s also good to share clients at a company event so that we can provide advice where required.’
When asked for his evaluation on how the show was going, Ross said: ‘We had a couple of good discussions with installers and contractors, and we’ve got some interest in work coming up within the age care sector, so we’ll be following that up. We’ve had good interactions so far.’
Did the roadshow help promote Tarkett’s reputation? ‘We’ve spoken over the past couple of days about what brand awareness is and certainly coming out of the pandemic where we had limited face-to-face and external activity, you can’t put a price on it. Seeing people coming in gives you a feeling they’re embracing face-to-face contact now and that’s where the most engagement comes from. You can only do so much in virtual meetings.’
Troy Hackett, national sales manager of the workplace and hospitality sector at Tarkett, pointed out that the company is always trying to engage with architects and designers by having ‘lunch and learns’. ‘We’re always trying to get our sustainability story out there and promote the recyclability of products daily with architects in practises. The same goes for flooring contractors, engaging with the trade, and discussing our ReStart scheme, where they can send recyclable material and post installation waste bags back to us to be recycled. I think we’re all seeing this opportunity, where we can speak in groups face-to-face.’
Asked whether Tarkett does its own standalone events, Troy said: ‘Not as such. I think one of the after-effects of Covid-19 is having reduced expense, so we must be careful with the money we have to spend. It’s great that we can partner with Bostik and Carpet & Flooring to take part. This event certainly helps grow our brand. We’ve had a strong start to the year, so I think events like this promote brand awareness and help bring people through the door.’
James Bagdadi, technical advisor at Tarkett added: ‘I think if you don’t try you won’t know, but if you build it then they may come. This is a first of its kind, certainly for Tarkett and especially in Scotland. Afterwards we’ll analyse the pros and cons of the event and how we can do better to attract higher levels of footfall. It’s different and there’s been nothing like it to my knowledge in the flooring industry but if you don’t give these events a go, you’ll never know, and it might be one of those things where you need to do it again to grow the audience. In terms of the pandemic, it might be quite early for Scotland because it doesn’t feel as open as the rest of the UK.’
When asked how Carpet & Flooring were finding the roadshow, branch manager, Cheryl Siegerson, said: ‘Busy! It’s been worthwhile because although we speak to people daily over the phone, it’s sometimes nice to put a face to a name and see them come out of their office environment and speak to you about things you may not potentially speak about otherwise. We’ve had some good leads and several orders which is good. And by teaming up with a supplier, you get more people through the door, so we’re seeing people we don’t know and vice versa.’
When asked how important the event is, specifically to the branch in Glasgow, Cheryl replied: ‘Very! We normally get caught up in day-to-day business so sometimes it’s just nice to get the customer away from the branch and chat to them. The demos to sell products are free advertising for us because we bring the product into the store, but we need the supplier to be there to show what it does, so it’s worthwhile. We’re a very small branch compared to some other branches, so this is good for us.’
When asked if attending trade shows benefits the brand, David Fairbairn, area sales manager at Carpet & Flooring replied: ‘Some of the best leads and biggest customers have come through trade shows. It doesn’t even need to be something big, just having a trade morning can help and get you speaking to people because there are many you’d never pick up the phone and think to chat to.
Sometimes being face-to-face is where you get some of the best leads and during Covid-19, we found that losing that face-to-face contact made it more difficult to pin people down and speak to them and find out the information you need. On the phone, people can be called away if they’re busy, or they may be rushed, so it’s good to have events like this back.
David pointed out the second day was particularly busy, making it beneficial for all concerned. ‘We’ve also managed to secure a few orders. So events such as these are very important, giving us an opportunity to interact with customers. Also, when people come to shows they tend to be really focused on their meetings; they have no distractions as they would if they were at their premises.’
Does Carpet & Flooring take part in other trade events? ‘We hold trade days at the branch where suppliers such as Bostik or Tarkett will come in. We also hold standalone trade days, although they can sometimes be hit-and-miss.’
Over the two-day show, I met several flooring contractors such as Roger Anderson, a carpet and vinyl specialist, who said: ‘I have my own business; we’re a carpet and vinyl specialist, a small retail outfit based in Forfar. We do domestic and occasionally commercial work. David from Carpet & Flooring invited us to attend and said Tarkett and Bostik would be here. We’re currently experiencing issues with various adhesives we’re using from other manufacturers so we thought we’d come to see if there’s something on the market we can use alternatively.’
When asked how he was finding the event, he said: ‘Very informative, and it’s great to be given technical advice. It’s a useful day out as well. We briefly looked at Bostik at The Flooring Show in Harrogate last year, but we weren’t sure at that point. We’ve had a few issues with the manufacturer of the adhesives we’ve been using lately, and I thought I’d look in the CFJ magazine where there are many reviews about Bostik’s adhesives. Much good has been said about the brand which persuaded us to travel here. It’s been worthwhile.’
When asked how important events like this are for the industry, he replied: ‘They’re important because they keep you updated with what’s going on and what’s out there. With The Flooring Show, for example, there are always new products coming out and there’s always information available on new ways of doing a job. I’ve been in the trade 40 years and with screeding, for example, what you did 40 years ago and what you do now are two completely different things. When I first did it, I used a trowel and just patched up floors, not a complete wash-over like we do now. That was a builder’s job, so things have changed drastically and the products themselves have changed as well.’
However, Roger agrees the industry is now in a better position to promote the use of more environmentally friendly products. ‘Years ago, you occasionally used epoxy resin adhesives and my sense of smell was damaged, so it highlights the difference. Most products are water-based nowadays with low odour. I used to visit an epoxy resin dealer who wore a mask, goggles and gloves and it still penetrated the protection they wore. Nowadays it’s just about learning what you can use with what and coming to events such as this roadshow is great for that.
‘You also get to see the reps and other people you’ve met before so it’s good to catch up with them and find out what they’re doing as well, which you might not necessarily have got to know about otherwise. For us, it’s all about talking to the guys in the technical department because they’re telling us what you should and shouldn’t do with different products because sometimes the instructions on the packaging just aren’t enough.’
Overall, I was impressed with the amount of time and effort that went into the roadshow. Bostik is clearly passionate about its products and at getting its message out to the industry.
Bostik is running roadshows up-and-down the UK in the lead up to The Flooring Show, offering flooring professionals the chance to chat face-to-face about the company’s latest products and services. Check out their website for specific dates below.
www.bostik-profloor.co.uk/roadshow
