EXCLUSIVE: Motion Healthcare hints at lucrative new offering for dealers as it discusses BHTS plans
Ahead of the upcoming British Healthcare Trade Show (BHTS), Tim Mills, Head of Business at Motion Healthcare, discusses the importance of the upcoming show for the industry, and shares an interesting new proposition that retailers should listen out for.
First entering the market in 2016, Motion Healthcare has enjoyed rapid growth, fuelled by its strategic focus on bringing new products to market and working with an exclusive selection of mobility dealers.
Now, having weathered the disruption of the pandemic and recent winter lockdown, the company looks set to continue its growth, and has thrown its support behind the inaugural BHTS to help kickstart the industry’s recovery.
Created in partnership with THIIS Magazine, the British Healthcare Trades Association, and Promoting Independence, BHTS is the only event made exclusively for the mobility trade.
Taking place on 15 June at the Weetwood Hall Estate in Leeds, and sponsored by Motion Healthcare, the one-day show will bring mobility suppliers and retailers back together to reconnect and discover new products and opportunities ahead of a busy summer of trading.
THIIS caught up with Tim Mills, Head of Business at Motion Healthcare, to discover how the company and its dealers are bouncing back following a winter of Covid disruption, and what it has planned for dealers attending the June trade show.
THIIS: Do you think the industry will be able to quickly recover from the last lockdown?
Tim: “I get a real sense from our customers that they are coming out of the pandemic in a strong position, and I don’t think the pandemic will have changed many of our retailers’ long-term trajectories.
“Many business that were doing well before Covid seem to be doing well in this exit phase of the pandemic, which I think is a credit to the resilience of many of the retailers out there.
“I would like to think that as a supplier, we have done our part to help our partners by providing the support they need to help bounce back, and supporting the British Healthcare Trade Show is part of that effort.”
THIIS: Why has Motion Healthcare chosen to support the industry by sponsoring BHTS?
Tim: “I’ve always been a firm believer that the industry needs its own trade show, but one that meets the needs of our industry.
“By cutting out expensive exhibition companies and planners that seek to make a margin from suppliers, and therefore making it too expensive for suppliers to go, means more companies can exhibit and its gives retailers more of a reason to attend. It makes the whole thing accessible, which is what a good show should be.
“Having the opportunity to help bring that to the industry is something that we couldn’t pass up.”
THIIS: Why do you believe the industry needs its own trade-exclusive event?
Tim: “It really is essential to have a space where you can talk business. You can’t really do that at events where there are end-users, because you are also fielding end-users’ questions or demonstrating products.
“For us, having the time and space to really discuss the products and what we are all about with potential trade partners is really vital. It comes back to having the chance to build that relationship, understand retailers’ needs and discuss opportunities – that needs a certain kind of environment that only a B2B event can provide.
“Being an inclusive trade event, it also gives us an opportunity to run our own events and activities alongside it for our current retail partners to thank them for their business with us. We are keen to give back and show appreciation to those that work with us, and tying that in with an industry event makes sense – it is something we will be keen to do more of as normality returns.”
THIIS: What are you most looking forward at the British Healthcare Trade Show?
Tim: “Beyond the opportunity to reconnect with our exclusive dealer network, we are also looking forward to showcasing our current product range to those in the industry that haven’t had the chance to see it yet.
“We also have some exciting plans to share with dealers regarding some new products, as well as product improvements, that are coming in the near future.
“In particular, we are preparing to the launch a trial of a really interesting concept that has the potential to provide retailers with a new, easy revenue stream.
“It is an opportunity to have express hearing aids test stations in retail showrooms, which only requires a space big enough for an iPad to administer the test, as well as easy training for staff. So, for any retailers interested in offering a free, two-minute hearing aid test in their showroom that they can earn a commission on, certainly come see us and we would be keen to have a chat.”
See the Motion Healthcare team at the British Healthcare Trade Show on stand 26, 27 and 28 on 15 June at the Weetwood Hall Estate and Conference Centre, Leeds.
Register on the British Healthcare Trade Show website here for your free tickets.
Visit Motion Healthcare’s website here to view its range of popular, powered mobility products.
If you are interested in exhibiting at the British Healthcare Trade Show please contact Joe Fahy on 07384 258 372 or via e-mail on bhts@thiis.co.uk.
