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This page includes general news about The Retirement Shows. For news about each show, please click on the links above.

19/07/08

London Retirement show 'a huge success'

The second Retirement Show in London took place on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 July at London Olympia's Grand Hall. Around 8000 visitors came to the show, making it the world's largest event for those who are retired, semi-retired or who aspire to retire.

The show - sponsored by Prudential - included around 150 exhibitors, as well as a performance stage with belly-dancing and excerpts from the West End stage, all day have-a-go dancing and tai chi, live cookery demonstations with Alex Mackay from Ready Steady Cook!, gardening with famous horticulturalist Roddy Llewellyn, and a live catwalk fashion show featuring mature models and clothes from sponsor Kaleidoscope. Two seminar theatres covered health matters, finance and property, as well as hobbies, making the most of your retirement and even how to organise your own funeral. The show also included indoor bowls, painting classes and free blood pressure and hearing checks.

The show web site is at www.the-Retirement-Show.com.

Show director Dr Robert McCaffrey commented “Visitors and exhibitors had a fantastic couple of days, and many people have told us that they are looking forward to next year's show already.”

The show takes place three times each year; in Manchester in March, in London in July and in Glasgow in November.

Download post-show press release

24/04/08

Prudential launches new retirement website

Prudential’s commitment to retirement continues with the launch of their industry leading retirement website, Retire Your Way. The site gives you facts, tips and product information to help you make informed decisions that could help boost your retirement finances.

At the heart of the website is the Retirement Planner, an online calculator that helps calculate how much money you may have in retirement. The more information you enter (such as pension arrangements, any savings, investments, property, income and outgoings) the more realistic the results. You can ‘play around’ with the options and see how they affect your estimated income.

Trying out the Retirement Planner only takes a few minutes. It’s never too late to improve your retirement finances so why not try it today? You may be surprised at the number of options you have.

10/04/08

RAVE REVIEWS from Manchester Visitors

Visitors to the Manchester Retirement Show have voted it a resounding success. Questionnaires received show that the exhibition attendees clearly enjoyed their day at the show and the fashion show was among the favourite features, along with the Cookery demonstrations, and ballroom dancing area.

The wide variety of stands and exhibitors also pleased many of the visitors who spent several hours at the show. Seminar sessions were 'helpful and informative' with lots of advice given by the panel experts.

One visitor commented "The only bad part of the show was not being able to try the food at the cookery demo's. All the rest was fantastic!"

Exhibitors were also delighted with the show and many have agreed to come with the show to London in July. One exhibitor even ran out of applications forms by Saturday lunchtime because the demand was so much higher than expected.

See a selection of visitor and exhibitor comments here.

18/03/08

Manchester retirement Show a resounding success

The Retirement Show at Manchester Central on 14 and 15th March was an amazing success for both visitors and exhibitors alike. Over 5000 visitors came to the show and some even asked if they could come back again the next day!

Non-stop dancing in the ballroom, 8 cookery demonstrations, 6 fashion shows, two choral groups, expert question and answer sessions and seminar presentations on a variety of topics meant that there was plenty for everyone to do throughout the day. Blood pressure testing, hearing testing, massage and makeovers were also available for visitors to try.

Celebrity chef Alex Mackay demonstrated his skills by cooking several dishes in The B&Q Retirement Show Kitchen whilst the Kaleidoscope Fashion Zone featured real women (who were all over 50), rather than professional models. The catwalk shows were extremely popular with standing room only. Jo Ashley, one of the models said “I have realized my lifetime ambition - to appear on a catwalk wearing beautiful clothes in front of so many people was an amazing experience”. Horticultural expert Roddy Llewellyn shared his knowledge with visitors in the Gardening Question and Answer sessions which took place twice each day.

Over 85 companies and organizations attended The Retirement Show and one exhibitor commented after the first day “The show has been great for us. We will definitely exhibit again.” Many exhibitors have booked stands for the London and Glasgow events and after the success at Manchester demand for stands is high.

Show Director Robert McCaffrey said “We noticed that at last year's launch show in London the visitors were mainly from the south so we decided to take the exhibition to the north. Manchester Central was an excellent location and suited us and our visitors really well. We have already confirmed The Retirement Show in Manchester in March 2009 and are looking forward to making it even better. The show exceeded all expectations and has been a fantastic success.”

A press release is also available.

18/02/08

Competition winner returns from prize holiday

The Retirement Show holiday competition winner, Vera Harding, has just returned from her all-expenses paid holiday to Barbados, with Amaryllis Beach Resorts. Vera won the holiday after coming to The Retirement Show at London Olympia in 2007 and entering our Free Prize Draw. She decided to take her daughter, Eve, with her on her dream holiday.

"A perfect dream come true" said Vera on her return from her winter sunshine holiday. "It was a truly wonderful week! I cannot thank you enough for sending us to such a perfect location. We couldn't have picked anywhere better for some winter sunshine."

"Amaryllis - WOW!! Ocean view? We were ON the beach!! We couldn't fault ANYTHING! We fell in love with Amaryllis. All the staff were so friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the choice of food and restaurants." continued Vera. "What more can I say but... I can't wait to go again!!"

21/01/07

Sales Team Grows

The popularity of The Retirement Show has meant that the Show team has expanded even further with the addition of Peter Hobden, a new Sales Contact working with PRo Global Media for The Retirement Show.

Peter brings with him knowledge and experience in the global conference sector and will be the contact for local businesses and organisations who are looking to make the most of the opportunity to exhibit at the Manchester Retirement Show.

Peter said he is happy to be associated with such a great event and is looking forward to making the show an even bigger success than before.

"The Retirement Show is becoming so successful that the team is continually expanding at the moment. We are really pleased to welcome Peter to the team and with his help we are looking forward to building our links with local companies." said Show Director Robert McCaffrey.

14/01/07

Show Organiser Joins the retirement show team!

The team behind The Retirement Show is growing. Due to the amazing success of the 2007 inaugural show in London, The Retirement Show has expanded into three venues across the UK and Scotland. To help enhance the show experience for both exhibitors and visitors, PRo Global Media now have a Show Organiser for all three shows.

Jenny Lomas-Clarke joined The Retirement Show team after returning to the UK from Canada. With previous experience in organising corporate and public tours, events and activity programmes she will be an invaluable addition to the team. Living around the world in glamorous locations and dealing with the public on a daily basis has given Jenny the ability to help create a show the visitors won't be able to miss and that exhibitors must attend.

"It is an amazing experience to be part of such a flourishing show. I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into it. The show did so well last year that we want to make it even better this year. We are already doing that by making it more accessible to everyone, no matter where they live. I can't wait to see people's faces as they come to the show and see what there is on offer." says Jenny. "Working in this market is fantastic because there are so many opportunities for retired people, it's sometimes hard for them to know where to start!"

Event Director, Robert McCaffrey commented "It will be great to have Jenny on board as part of the team. She will be bringing all parts of the show together and ensuring the experience is as enjoyable as possible for everyone. Having her with us will be a huge asset."

30/11/07

Revised floor plans now available

Revised floor plans for Manchester and London are now available, reflecting strong exhibitor bookings. Please see the relevant 'Exhibiting information' section for each show. Floor plans for Glasgow are currently being finalised.

A new press release for the show is now available - click here.

15/8/07

'Over 55s are the greenest'

THE over 55s are some of the most environmentally minded people in society. About three quarters of people surveyed in a MORI Ipsos poll said they were committed recyclers. The research, for T-Mobile, revealed almost a fifth were recycling more than three quarters of their household waste and more than half disposed of electrical goods the eco way. Cllr Milton McKenzie, Barking and Dagenham's executive member for the environment, believes maturity and a global awareness explains the trend.

He said: "They probably understand more. When you get into your senior years, you become a little bit more circumspect and you probably realise you'll have to pay - not that young people don't have to pay, but maybe you understand much more why you have to do that." Cllr McKenzie, a Labour councillor in the over-55 age bracket, said Barking and Dagenham is meeting its recycling targets. He said the borough had met its aim to recycle 22 per cent of its household waste for 2006/07 and was on course to reach its 25 per cent target this financial year. "Barking and Dagenham has come a long way since we started recycling. I'm proud of our achievements, but what we are not doing, is resting on our laurels."

Although the council has introduced special fortnightly collections for garden waste, Cllr McKenzie stressed this would not be extended to normal household waste collections. He said: "At the present time, we have no intention to go to fortnightly collections of household waste, none whatsoever, because it is not practical as far as residents are concerned." (More)

2/8/07

The Retirement Show to change in 2008

The Retirement Show is to change in over 75 different ways, following feedback from show visitors. Changes will include optimisation of the layout of the show, new feature areas, changes to catering, changes to sound management and many other tiny things that will make visitors enjoy their day out even more. Dr Robert McCaffrey, event director, commented "Feedback on our visitor questionnaires is very useful to us. We can then do more of what people like, and less of what they didn't."

2/8/07

Registration opens for The Retirement Show in 2008

Registration has opened for the three Retirement Shows in 2008: Manchester March 2008 (Register Free); London July 2008 (Register Free); Glasgow November 2008 (Register Free). The three shows will officially be launched later in 2007.

16/7/07

The Retirement Show in 2008

Following the success of the UK’s first-ever Retirement Show, in July 2007 at London Olympia, the organisers have announced that the show will be repeated in London in 2008, but will also take place in Manchester and Glasgow as well. "Our research shows that visitors generally travelled for up to two hours to get to the show (although some did come from as far as Truro, Harrogate and North Wales). The audience for the show is therefore regionally-based, and we are very confident indeed that the show can be repeated in Manchester, London and Glasgow in 2008, with each show attracting a different cohort of visitors," commented show director Dr Robert McCaffrey. "We have received a lot of interest in all three shows, and we expect to take our first bookings for the shows in the near future."

16/7/07

The Retirement Show 2007 in London: A FANTASTIC SUCCESS!

The UK’s first-ever Retirement Show successfully took place on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th July at London Olympia, with visitors queuing around the block and the show ‘absolutely mobbed.’

The show included dancing lessons and demonstrations (hosted by legendary radio mega-star David Jacobs), a senior body-builder, gardening question-time with horticulturist Roddy Llewellyn, live cookery demonstrations from top chef Alex Mackay, a Marks and Spencers-sponsored fashion show, T’ai Chi, live jazz and choral singing, and over 100 exhibition stands. The seminar areas at the show were also very busy, and seats for some topics, such as the ‘Sex and relationships for the over-50’ were in short supply. The Zimmers wowed the audience with their hard-rockin’ version of ‘My generation.’ Sponsors included M&S, Specsavers, Nintendo, Key Retirement Solutions and Norwich Union, and Saga was also present.

Show director Dr Robert McCaffrey commented “We are very pleased that our gamble to stage such an unusual and ground-breaking show has paid off. Show visitors and exhibitors have been extremely positive about the event. The Retirement Show will take place three times in 2008, in Manchester in March, back in London in July and in Glasgow in October 2008. We expect the show to be significantly larger next time, both in terms of visitors and the number of exhibitors, and we may have to move to a larger venue. We have already identified over 50 ways to make the show even more attractive to both visitors and exhibitors, and we are sure of even greater success next year.”

See The Retirement Show 2007 photo gallery

View visitor and exhibitor feedback

View The Retirement Show Movie

11/7/07 BBC to film at The Retirement Show

BBC Current Affairs are producing a short-film about parents approaching retirement who are supposedly "spending their children's inheritance." A producer, reporter and camera man will be visiting the show on Friday and Saturday, to conduct interview with show visitors and selected exhibitors. This short-film is for THE ONE SHOW which is the new prime time weekday show on BBC 1.
Fronted by Adrian Chiles it is the biggest show BBC 1 has ever commissioned, and will go out live at 7.00 pm, five nights a week, 50 weeks of the year. THE ONE SHOW will reflect all aspects of the Britain we're in, through popular culture, entertainment, politics, lifestyle, sport, and anything else "that takes our fancy," says the BBC. It will be a mix of live guests and short films showcasing the best the Beeb has to offer in arts, history, natural history, science - and with a fresh take on current affairs.

12/6/07 Marks and Spencer confirms its sponsorship of The Retirement Show

In a major coup for the event, leading fashion retailer Marks and Spencer has confirmed that it will sponsor the fashion show at the Retirement Show.

11/5/07 The Retirement Show's application for Audit Bureau of Circulation membership has been approved

The Retirement Show has had its application approved for membership of the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Show director Dr Robert McCaffrey commented "We are confident that we will bring in a very respectable number of visitors to the show, and ABC membership will allow our exhibitors at this show - and at future Retirement Shows - to be confident as to the veracity of the visitor numbers given for the show."

24/4/07 The secret to living to 100....

29/1/07 - The secret of long life, finally revealed

1/11/06: Where to retire? Possibly not Oldham?

A new web site (CLICK HERE) that allows you to find out where in the UK you personally should retire to has been launched by The Retirement Show. The site allows users to enter their own preferences for their retirement lifestyle (including down-town or out-of-town living, weather factors and housing prices), and the site's powerful algorithm does the rest.According to the site, for a 'neutral' selection of factors, North Kesteven in Lincolnshire is the best place in the UK to retire to, while Oldham is the worst.Dr Robert McCaffrey, who co-authored the site with colleagues Ben Mortensen and Ian Hayes, commenting on the findings said "The lists reflect the cost of living in these areas, but they are also strongly influenced by the weather: Unsurprisingly, the warm dry south east of the UK does well on this reckoning, while the cold and wet north west does particularly poorly. However, the fact is that you are probably best-off retiring to where your friends and loved-ones are closest.

"'Best' places in the UK to retire

1   North Kesteven District
2   Rochford District
3   South Cambridgeshire District
4   Babergh Distict
5   East Cambridgeshire District
6   Maldon District
7   Mid Suffolk District
8   Wychavon District
9   Horsham District
10   Suffolk Coastal District

'Worst' places in the UK to retire

1   Oldham Metropolitan Borough
2   Preston Borough
3   Burnley Borough
4   Rossendale Borough
5   Blackburn with Darwen Borough
6   Liverpool City
7   Salford Metropolitan Borough
8   Rochdale Metropolitan Borough
9   Newcastle upon Tyne, City of
10   Pendle Borough