Of the many achievements made by Cutting Edge over the last ten years, I feel compelled to mention the Exhibitions. Whilst in the past, the Trade has made every effort to uphold a certain standard during these events, I believe that over the last ten years they have gone from strength to strength and raised the bar.  It is notoriously difficult to please everyone in any Trade when organising events, and it’s fair to say that the committee has not always got it right, with either the organisation or the venue letting it down occasionally.  During more recent times I believe Cutting Edge has achieved a far greater balance between these two important factors.

In my 34 years in the Trade, I have attended many Exhibitions as both repairer and exhibitor, some good, some not so, but have always found them to be interesting and informative places to be. They are an opportunity to meet both new and existing suppliers, see new products, and try new machines.  Meeting old friends and chewing the cud can often put a smile on many a face whilst sharing opinions on products and services.  They are events that shouldn’t be missed and therefore place huge responsibility on Cutting Edge to deliver and meet the expectations of all those who attend.

Unlike most trade events, we as a Trade have more diversification than most, making the event a far more interesting proposition for the attendees.  It was important to choose venues that had better services and facilities to accommodate us.  In recent years, more emphasis has been placed on creating a more welcoming environment for attendees, adding quality food and drink at reasonable prices, always a bug bear in the past.  Creating a lounge area within the Exhibition area so that everyone feels included more of the time, giving everyone the opportunity to sit and relax, or have a more formal ‘chat’ away from the exhibitors stand.  These additions, amongst others have helped to create a more relaxing and vibrant Exhibition.

There is no doubt that the raised profile of these events have helped maintain a healthier Trade during a difficult recession, keeping those that attend more informed about materials, machinery and services available to them in these tough times.  Comments from both repairers and exhibitors has confirms that the current exhibitions are some of the more successful they have attended and more and more exhibitors are being attracted to our Trade on the back of its success.

I have been fortunate to sit on the organising Committee over the last few years and have been privileged to see how it has grown in stature.  There is a strong commitment amongst the Committee to create the best Exhibition possible whilst maintaining the high standard achieved over recent years, no easy task I can tell you!  It is only achievable due to the cross section of expertise derived from all areas of our Trade.  There are Committee members from all sides of the Trade including, Shoecare, key cutting, shoe repair machinery, engraving, trophies and material suppliers.  Also, there is representation from the Shoe Repairers themselves with two members sitting on the Committee.

In my opinion, it is so important to keep our Trade buoyant during these difficult trading periods, so when we come out of the other side, we are a stronger Trade.  Long live Cutting Edge and long may they continue supporting and even leading the Trade to more prosperous times.  Happy Birthday Cutting Edge!