“The best Expo I’ve attended in twenty-five years”

Now in its 42nd year, UKIFDA EXPO 2022, organised by liquid fuels trade association the UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association, brought together more than 100 exhibitors and attracted a worldwide audience of thousands. For 2022, the event was held in Liverpool and leading figures and companies in the industry met to review new products and services from the supply chain, look at new innovations, admire best practice and identify opportunities.

The show is regarded by those in the industry as the place to launch new products and services, meet clients and do business and Touchstar has been a regular exhibitor for several decades. Gordon Hyland, Touchstar’s Sales Director for the fuel division, is a well-seasoned business traveller having worked in the airline industry as well as general & fuel logistics. So what prompted him to make such a strong declaration regarding the attributes of UKFDA 2022?

“Our dominance of the domestic market has always been underpinned by attendance at UKIFDA, or FPS as was. It’s an automatic ‘tick in the box’ when we look at our planned exhibition schedule and we relish the mix of business and social activity. However, there was a particular ‘buzz’ about this year’s event. I think it was the enforced hiatus caused by the pandemic but there was genuine enthusiasm from both delegates and exhibitors alike. Everyone seemed so relieved to be able to attend a physical event and we had an incredibly busy time on our stand. We have introduced many new features into our flagship ‘FuelStar’ product, including our new Mapping Console, and it was a pleasure to be able to demonstrate the software in person.

It was also gratifying to see several Touchstar clients feature in the awards ceremony including Dave Wilcox of WP who won the prestigious ‘Driver of the Year’ award. Congratulations Dave!

Probably the most encouraging aspect of the event is the way in which it’s a genuine barometer of the current state of our industry sector. Stand visitors weren’t coming to us for a general chat, they had ‘live’ projects that they were keen to progress quickly. Against a seemingly relentless backdrop of negative economic news and commercial challenges, it’s wonderful to see fuel distributors continuing to pursue progressive strategies and continue to invest in systems that offer a financial and operational payback. We can’t wait for the next UKIFDA event but, in the interim, we’ll continue to work hard to meet the technological needs of the industry.”

During the event Touchstar were running a prize draw to win a prestigious Mont Blanc pen worth over £360. The lucky winner was Rory Beath, General Manager RIX Petroleum (East Anglia & Mercia). The photograph below shows Gordon Hyland (Touchstar Sales Director) presenting Rory with his pen during a recent visit to the RIX Oakley depot in Telford.