The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) has appointed a new chair for its Exhibition Committee, which oversees the organisation of MACH, a UK manufacturing technologies event. Chris Pockett, head of communications at global engineering company Renishaw, who has been a committee member for eight years, was appointed chair of the Exhibition Committee due to his extensive knowledge and experience of international trade shows and event management. The new position also sees Pockett join the Board of the MTA where he will contribute his additional knowledge of communications and international marketing.
The MTA is a trade association that represents the UK’s engineering-based manufacturing sector including companies involved in machine tools, cutting tools, metrology and CAD/CAM software. It is also the organiser of the biennial MACH exhibition, the UK’s largest manufacturing technologies event, which is being held from April 9-13, 2018, at the NEC in Birmingham. The Exhibition Committee consists of MTA staff and industry representatives from exhibiting member companies of the association and is responsible for overseeing decisions concerning the exhibition.
Pockett brings a wealth of experience of global exhibitions from his role as head of communications at Renishaw. He was involved with Renishaw’s first stand in China in 1993 and has organised and taken part in trade shows across all continents. He has been an MTA Exhibition Committee member since 2008, serving the association through a number of MACH events. As part of his new role, Pockett will be responsible for overseeing MACH 2018, the first event to be located in the NEC’s newer Atrium halls.