There were blank faces when we announced Fully Charged LIVE in the UK at the end of 2017, and again when we announced Fully Charged LIVE in the US a year later, but the results were the same. Enthusiastic crowds, and ecstatic exhibitors.
Wherever it goes Robert Llewellyn’s ‘little’ YouTube channel is a BIG attraction, and whether it was Silverstone or Circuit of the Americas, the venues couldn’t contain Fully Charged, and the community of aficionados it has amassed over a decade.
Perhaps, this September though was when the penny dropped. Not only is this show not going away, but much more than that, it looks like it could become the UK’s modern take on the motor show AND home show, all rolled into one.
I’ve launched, worked on, and attended an enormous number of exhibitions in the last 25 years, and I cannot recall one that has harnessed so much positivity in such a short time. And it was done against a backdrop of unprecedented uncertainty.
Because not only are the transport and energy sectors hard hit by more than 18 months of COVID, but they also have to contend with Brexit-induced supply issues, a microprocessor shortage, the Suez Canal crisis AND economic headwinds too.
What’s more, the show had uprooted itself from its launch venue, and had to start again in some respects, moving as it did, some 70 miles south to a venue that could accommodate its growth plans – Farnborough International.
Despite all of the above Fully Charged LIVE – Fully Charged OUTSIDE as it was styled this year – has effortlessly continued on its growth path, barely breaking stride in the process.
This isn’t to say it wasn’t a challenging project – I have worked on none harder – and I am incredibly grateful to the core team (Joanna, Gina, Chris & Sophie) for delivering a first-class experience against all the odds.
So what next?
Well, we are even more ambitious than ever to double the show again – by size and by revenue in 2022 – and now we are out of the start-up phase we intend to significantly invest in making that happen.
The show will return to Farnborough International but will be brought forward to April 29th, 30th & 1st May and as before, it will be the world’s no.1 festival of clean energy and electric vehicles.
We can’t wait to see you there!
Dan Caesar
This year’s show had:
- 150+ exhibitors
- 300+ electric vehicles
- 50+ live sessions
- 16,259 attendees over 3 days
Watch the video roundup to get a feel for this fantastic show.s
Search #FullyChargedOUTSIDE for more reactions from the weekend.
Roll on, next April!
