We've just wrapped up Professional Electrician’s signature ELEX event at CBS Arena in Coventry, and what a fantastic two days it's been! Both Channel and Timeguard had brilliant stands that really caught people's attention.
New Products Get Their Big Reveal
Timeguard:
The big highlight for us was finally launching Timeguard's new Circuit Protection range – something we've been really excited to get out there. This represents a major step for Timeguard, building on its quality reputation by entering this side of the electrical market, and the response from contractors was brilliant. Paul, Graham and Peter from the Timeguard sales team, alongside Circuit Protection product manager David, were kept busy all day fielding questions and showing contractors exactly how these products could change their approach to circuit protection.
Alongside the Circuit Protection launch, we also unveiled the Solar PV1000, which had plenty of contractors stopping by to get hands-on with the kit. The Timeguard team were showing contractors clips of our new product demo video of the PV1000 that has been created by Efixx – it was brilliant seeing people's reactions as they watched the product in action on screen before getting to see it for themselves.
Channel:
Over at Channel's stand, the new Solent II emergency bulkhead was getting interest. Gary Mason, Mark and Emily on hand to walk contractors through the features and benefits – there's nothing quite like letting people actually see and touch the products to understand how they can work with them.
The stands looked fantastic and gave visitors a proper chance to get up close with everything. Our sales reps from both brands were on hand to walk contractors through installations and answer all the technical questions that came up.
Building Connections Through Training
One of the best parts was the conversations happening at Channel's stand about CPD training, with Gary Tomlin drawing on his experience as a former electrician to really connect with contractors. Gary's authentic approach, combined with the expertise from Gary Mason, Mark and Emily, meant loads of contractors were genuinely interested in our fire systems and emergency lighting training programs. It's great to see people wanting to expand their skills and take on more fire safety work with confidence.
The whole atmosphere was really positive – contractors were engaged, asking good questions to Paul, Graham, Peter, David and the Channel team, and you could tell they were thinking about how these products could work for their businesses.
Big Thanks to the Team Behind the Scenes
While everyone's focused on the stands and the sales conversations, we can't forget about all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make events like this happen.
Massive thanks to Kim, our graphic designer, who created all the visuals for both stands (especially the luminous Channel lightbox). The boards and marketing materials looked absolutely spot-on and really helped draw people in.
Malcolm and Harry from our technical team deserve a special mention – they spent two solid days in the warehouse carefully wiring up all the products for the display boards. Without their expertise, the sales team wouldn't have been able to do those brilliant live demonstrations that got contractors so engaged.
And finally, a huge shoutout to our warehouse heroes Mark, Dylan, and Jake. They loaded up the vans, helped us build everything at the venue, and then worked late Friday night breaking it all down again. Not the most glamorous job, but absolutely essential – and they did it all with good humour.
What's Next?
We're heading back with plenty of new contacts, some promising leads, and lots of positive feedback on the new products. The conversations about CPD training have given Gary Tomlin and the Channel team loads to follow up on too.
But we're not done yet! Timeguard and Channel will be back at another ELEX show in November, this time at Sandown Racecourse. Even better, they'll be joined by two other Deta brands – Brackenheath and Briticent – so visitors will get to see even more of what we do.
Most importantly though, it was just a really enjoyable couple of days. When your stands look good, your products work well, and your team is enthusiastic, it shows – and people respond to that. Paul, Graham, Peter, David, Gary Tomlin, Gary Mason, Mark and Emily all did a brilliant job representing their brands and connecting with contractors. Here's to doing it all over again in 8 weeks!