Adfield Group: A true family success story of a full-service marketing agency
Established 45 years ago, the Adfield Group has grown to be one of the UK’s leading full-service marketing agencies and with the business still thriving, the future looks bright. The Shropshire-based company is a third-generation family-owned business that offers an array of marketing services to a wide range of businesses across the UK and further afield.
Adfield’s team comprises 40 experienced marketing professionals, handling all aspects of marketing, from events and exhibitions to traditional and digital marketing communications, as well as telephone marketing, social media and video marketing.
Ian Field, the group’s managing director has almost 30 years of experience in the family business having been brought into the fold as a youngster. He said: “My parents Ann and David Field established Adfield in 1978 as a public relations business, and the company name came from a combination of their names. Four decades later, Adfield has expanded to a well-established full-service marketing agency.”
The Adfield Group has extensive experience working within a range of sectors including manufacturing, transport, automotive retail, logistics as well as government and not-for-profit organisations such as trade associations. Their vast experience and expertise gained over the years ensures they understand the specific challenges and needs of each sector and have the right skills and knowledge to help businesses in these industries succeed.
The Adfield Group is based in Beckbury, Shropshire with offices in London and Belfast. The agency currently has clients in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Finland and the USA, and is privileged to work with some of the world’s largest blue-chip companies.
The Adfield client portfolio consists of a wide range of businesses, some of which stage large, high profile events, such as the biennial MACH Exhibition – the UK’s national event for inspiring and connecting manufacturers, the legendary Flying Scotsman locomotive and the London mayoral elections.
Ian Field continued: “Our longevity as a business has been made possible through the continual support of our clients and the hard work and expertise of our talented marketing experts who provide our clients with cutting-edge marketing services and advice whilst retaining the original family values of the business.”
The Adfield team’s experience comes to the fore with its committed approach to stage-managing special events, extending from initial budget planning with the client through to implementation and fit-out, on-site support, logistics and then finally to breakdown of the event architecture. This dedicated approach to project planning and management, ensures the success of each event. Clients can hand over management responsibilities confident in the knowledge virtually every contingency has been planned for and safely dealt with should the need arise.
An excellent example of a fully-managed project is the MACH exhibition, which takes place every other year at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. Adfield has been managing the marketing of the trade show, on behalf of the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) since 2006 and was appointed a couple of years later to also manage the operational work of the exhibition. It is a great example of how a fully-managed project can be successfully delivered.
The exhibition is a massive logistical effort, straddling five exhibition halls and hundreds of exhibitors and their products, all of which have to be positioned safely and correctly on the exhibition floor. The 2022 event broke a record for the heaviest single lift of equipment at the NEC this century, a manoeuvre planned and overseen by Adfield.
James Selka, CEO of the MTA, which owns the MACH exhibition said: “We were very pleased with MACH 2022, which attracted more than 26,000 visitors and 500 exhibitors. It is a testament to the fantastic work by our event partner, the Adfield Group and their unceasing efforts in ensuring the exhibition was a success. I would like to place on record both my personal thanks and those of the MTA for their outstanding work.”
MACH 2022 at a glance
- 95% of exhibitors generated leads
- Deals worth in excess of £180m were concluded
- 80% of exhibitors considered they had raised their profile
- 77% of exhibitors considered they had improved relationships with their customers
- 68% of visitors came to see view new products
- 99% of visitors reported meeting their objectives
- 44% of visitors did not attend any comparable trade exhibition
The Adfield Group consistently produces tangible results for its clients through the effective utilisation of the skills and knowledge of its dedicated team. The group believes in working openly and transparently with its clients to form a strong and trusting partnership, ensuring marketing campaigns are targeted and effective, with a clear return on investment. Not surprisingly, the agency has become a trusted source for many clients during the past four decades and will continue to be so for many years to come.