Victoria and Neil went to the ExCel centre for The Baby Show last weekend to promote our awareness messages to 25,000 mums, mums to be, and unhappy looking husbands/partners in tow.
We’ve never seen so many pregnant women in one place, but far from a scrum of baby bumps and swollen ankles, the show was a great place to meet parents and listen to their concerns about meningitis. It was great meeting so many members of a demographic group we’re trying so hard to reach out to, and despite our stand being right opposite the Trunkie stall (try competing with snazzy baby luggage for attention) we met, chatted to and passed on our leaflets and cards to a huge amount of people.
For expectant parents or those planning a family, the show is a great place to see the latest must-haves for babies and toddlers along with strange gadgetry of the ‘never knew we needed one of those’ kind, and some quite brilliant innovations to make life easier for parents. We saw the latest in pushchairs/car seats, met the inventors of a contraption which plays music or a parent’s voice to a child in the womb (headphones not included) and watched the Creative Casting team mould and create 3D models of babies’ hands and feet as a keepsake for parents. Brilliant. Big companies like Mothercare, SMA, and numerous baby portrait/pushchair manufacturers had stands with lots of freebies and it was nice to see fellow charities Save the Children and Cancer Research UK raising awareness for their causes.
We totted up the Totwatch/Babywatch/symptoms cards we handed out, and we met about 3,000 groups of people over the show’s three days. We know that parents are scared of their children getting meningitis, along with a million other things they're told to worry about when trying to raise a baby. Most parents knew that the diseases are something that could harm their child, but weren’t aware of the red flag symptoms, the need for early diagnosis, and the potential after-effects which the diseases can cause.
Our approach was to reassure parents that meningitis and septicaemia are comparatively rare, but it’s vitally important to take action if you suspect a case. The reaction was immensely positive. People wanted our information ‘just in case’, and were talking about putting Babywatch in their medicine cabinet or on their fridge. We found that we were engaging people who were stopping to chat to us rather than browsing the ‘bells and whistles’ stands of companies selling products around us.
We met a lot of people with direct experience of meningitis and septicaemia at the show – couples sought us out to talk about their experience - one going as far as to say we were ‘the most worthwhile stand in the whole place’. We met people who’d made incredible recoveries when their symptoms had been diagnosed early, and others who could barely say the word meningitis as it had taken away someone they loved. It really brought home the importance of the work we do.
We’d recommend the Baby Show to anyone who wants to see what’s out there for prospective parents. You’ll see products you instantly love and wonder how you ever survived without, along with some you’ll just wonder about. If you go on the final day you might also pick up some bargains from exhibitors looking to shift their stock before the end of the show. We had a great time and we’re glad we connected with so many people.
Posted in MRF News by Neil Hardman on 01 February 2010
Bookmark