Service Management Europe 2001: the home of the field service industry

Citation

Ahlberg, M. (2001), "Service Management Europe 2001: the home of the field service industry", Facilities, Vol. 19 No. 13/14. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2001.06919mac.001

Service Management Europe 2001: the home of the field service industry

Service Management Europe 2001: the home of the field service industryKeywords: Facilities management, Suppliers, Service industries

Service Management Europe (SME), Europe's only dedicated field service event, took place 5-7 June at Earls Court 2, London, and brought together the latest solutions and technologies to help companies transform their service functions into dynamic, customer responsive and efficient operations. SME 2001 provided the forum for the field service industry to network, learn and do business.

Now in its fifteenth year, SME is firmly established as the flagship event for the field service community. SME can help manage both effectively and efficiently the many complex challenges of running a field service operation. Latest solutions and technological developments showcased included service management software, mobile communications, logistics, help desk and call centres. SME is targeted at business strategists responsible for field and customer service and IT support, both internal and external.

Much more than just a marketplace for every stage of the service management chain, SME provided suppliers and users with their annual opportunity to get together and exchange ideas or discuss the latest industry developments. According to a visitor to the show, Mr Bond, support centre manager, ITM Support Services, "The quality of the exhibitors has been excellent. I'll come back next year. It's a good chance to meet with suppliers and potential suppliers outside of work."

The SME free seminar programme, sponsored by Logicom, was just one of the show's features designed to facilitate this exchange of ideas, opinions and information. The case study-led seminars provided insights into the trends and issues affecting field service and gave visitors the opportunity to maximise the potential of their own businesses by learning from the movers and shakers in the field service industry. The seminars were so well attended throughout the three-day period that on several occasions there was standing room only. Nicki Bayley, New Business Project Planner, Logicom, said "I have found the seminars very interesting. Education is still very important. I have been able to see who's who in the industry."

The focus of many of the visitors to SME was, as ever, looking to do business. David Howard, European Support Manager, Marconi Medical Systems said, "We came here for a very specific reason; to look for a service management solution and test equipment. There was really nobody I wanted to see who was not here."

This view was supported by the show's exhibitors. For example, Daniel Morris, commercial manager, Dataroam, stated, "This was the first time we had exhibited at SME. We have spoken to many visitors who are seriously looking to buy mobile computing solutions. We have already reserved our stand for next year."

Susan Birks, marketing communications manager, Three X Communication, added "This year's Service Management Europe exhibition delivered a large number of top prospects. A must for anyone in the service industry. Three X will definitely be exhibiting in 2002."

Simon Morris, marketing manager, Clicksoftware summed it up by saying "We had very high expectations based on previous years' shows, and we were not disappointed. The quality of visitors was excellent, and our stand was extremely busy throughout the show – the staff on our stand didn't even have time to get any lunch! SME gave us the right people, from the right companies, in the right place."

The advent of the Internet and affordable mobile communications is fundamentally changing the way that all organisations deliver service to their customers. To reflect this convergence, SME 2001 was co-located with market-leading events Internet World UK, the UK's definitive Internet business event for every industry and every discipline, and its sister show Enterprise Customer Management, the UK's first CRM event. This created the largest customer-centric show in the UK with over 600 exhibitors and a gross audited audience for SME and ECM of 3,122 visitors.

SME 2002 will take place 11-13 June 2002, Earls Court 2 London. For more information on the show and the magazine, visit www.servicemanagement.co.uk or contact: Nigel Cox, Penton Media Europe. Tel: +44 (0) 20 8232 1600; Fax: +44 (0) 20 8232 1621; E-mail: nigel.cox@pentoneurope.com