The conference is attracting some big hitters with two of the UK's top retailers speaking and both main political parties taking it seriously. And the showcase exhibition was bigger and better than ever, with a real buzz about it this year.

Equally important are the off-site events, and some companies had clearly pushed their corporate entertainment budgets to the limit with some lavish events.

But with this growth comes new challenges. First, there is a real shortage of venues capable of hosting a conference on this scale with a major exhibition alongside. The decision to go to Gateshead next year will be a refreshing change, and the only question mark seems to be wheteher or not there are enough hotel beds on either side of the Tyne.

Looking further ahead, Liverpool will be a strong contender to host the event once its new convention centre is complete. And given that the Irish contingent is now such a force in the industry, there's a real case to be made for another go at taking the event to Dublin.

One factor the BCSC really needs to address when planning future events is its relationship with Mapic, the international retail property trade show which takes place in Cannes every November. Mapic expects to draw over 8,000 delegates this year, making it three times the size of the BCSC event, and a significant proportion of the delegates at Manchester will hardly have time to unpack their suitcases before heading off to Cannes.

Holding the industry's two premier events just six days apart makes no sense for delegates, exhibitors or the organisers themselves.

Of course there's an element of corporate pride here, but somebody needs to knock some heads together and come up with a solution that works better for the industry as a whole.

Graham Parker, Editor

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