Well, no, they haven’t. But their exhibitors certainly have….
This weekend’s Glasgow Allergy Show was surely a record. Usually the last half hour of any show sees exhibitors busily offering crates of product to other stand holders so that they don’t have to take it back home with them. Last Sunday? Not a thing on offer.
The Happy Snack Company had packed up and gone home by 3pm on Sunday afternoon – nothing left to sell – as had the guys from Daura gluten-free beer….
The exciting new Shore Scottish seaweed snacks were also all gone by early Sunday afternoon – not surprised – their snacks are delicious….
So too The Butter Scotch Bakery….
Even Warburtons Gluten Free were down to just two products….
And not only were Koko’s fridges totally bare but their milk dispensers were drained…
Indeed the only people who seem to have any product left at all were Genius Gluten Free – but since they live just down the road from Glasgow, restocking their depleted supplies was not an issue for them!
So how come?
Well, the good people Glasgow just seem to have flocked all weekend to the SEC down on Clydeside and bought, and bought, and bought…. Whether they were spurred on by the fact that they had been deprived of their show last year by ‘the Beast from the East‘ or whether they are just mad keen ‘freefrom-ers’, they certainly did the Allergy Show’s exhibitors proud and cleared their shelves.
According to Tom Treverton (seen totting up his lists here with his colleague Raj from the Just V Show) they had over 12,000 visitor over the two days – which was 24% up on the last show they did in Glasgow in 2017. Which is presumably why so many exhibitors had sold out before the show was anywhere near over. Well done Allergy Show – and eat your hearts out, exhibitors who weren’t there!
Meanwhile, according to a long standing exhibition-going tradition, I skived off for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon to nip across the river to the wonderfully space-agey Glasgow Science Centre. The centre on the right, Imax cinema on the left and Glasgow tower in the background.
I must admit that given a choice I would normally opt for an art gallery rather than a science centre – but this one was amazing!!! They do have adult programmes but the main focus is interesting kids in science – and what a way to do it.
Literally every display is interactive in some way or other and each interaction teaches you about some application of science.
So this next one is all about energy – how we create it, how we use it, how we can save it – but you get to race some cars!! (As you can can see, adults also welcome…)
This exhibit shows you how perception can be manipulated – and how your eye can lie!
And those are only three of hundreds. I could happily have spent the whole afternoon there – but Cressida had only let me off for one hour……. Sadly, although probably just as well given my schedule, the tower wasn’t open so I couldn’t go up it.
However, for anyhow who has more time, I would thoroughly recommend a trip up its 127 metres – the view from the top looks spectacular – and there is a lift!!
