Locks and Security News: your weekly locks and security industry newsletter
17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

Your industry news - first

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Top marks all round for the TradeLocks Open Weekend

On the 22nd-23rd November, over one hundred and fifty locksmiths travelled from far and wide to UAP Tradelocks HQ in order to attend the highly-anticipated TradeLocks Open Weekend - and what a success it was!

People from all over the United Kingdom-including Scotland, Ireland and Wales (and even customers from France) were eager to take part in educational, informative workshops and detailed demonstrations, carried out by the best in the business.

They were ever so determined to hone their skills and improve their performance, so this long-awaited event presented the perfect opportunity to do just that.

And of course, UAP Tradelocks was always on hand to provide much-needed assistance and advice, as and when was needed. It was not only seasoned professionals who decided to take advantage of the courses on offer, as there were also more than a few talented young apprentices who were keen to learn all the tricks of the trade from well-known and respected names.

Industry legends such as Chris Belcher, Martin Pink and Pat McGinn were ready and waiting to answer any pressing queries and showcase their impressive abilities to an already engrossed audience.

As well as free Genuine Lishi, KD 200/900 and Mortice Lock Impressioning workshops, Key Cutting and Key Cloning Demos and Cylinder Re-Pinning classes, there was also a bouncy castle and fun-filled games for the kids, including giant Jenga and Connect 4, so little ones were kept entertained throughout the day. Grown-ups could enjoy refreshments in the spacious Beer Tent, and tuck into a delicious hog roast, which was universally declared a smash hit.

In order to make sure that people gained hands-on experience with TradeLocks tooling, locksmiths were given the golden opportunity to be shown demonstrations on a range of live vehicles (a Nissan Qashqai, Vaxhaull Corsa and Vauxhall Combo van), and work out how to open uPVC doors quickly and efficiently. With all this information to hand, it goes without saying that these workshops proved to be incredibly popular as you could essentially 'try before you buy'.

And due to the success of these demonstrations, UAP saw sales go through the roof! Nearly a thousand remotes were sold, as well as a record-breaking amount of mortice impressioning sets, pick guns and the revolutionary Genuine Lishi NightVision tools.

RPCP Belcher sets also proved to be incredibly desirable amongst the more discerning of locksmiths, as the genius himself (Chris Belcher) is widely regarded as a force to be reckoned with in the trade.

As well as showing attendees how to operate tooling effectively so that it reaches its maximum potential, Chris Belcher (pictured right) also sketched detailed diagrams as a 'how to' guide for those looking to emulate his success when it comes to handling even the most complex of locksmithing apparatus. He was more than happy to share his extensive wealth of knowledge and expertise with like-minded individuals, and made sure that every question was answered honestly and concisely.

Martin Pink and Pat McGinn were also in attendance, and offered their insight into Genuine Lishi lockpicking, key cutting machinery and key cloning so that fellow locksmiths would benefit from this experience.

The feedback that UAP received from satisfied punters just went to show how much people enjoyed the weekend as a whole, and went away with some exclusive discount deals, as well as full bellies and some well-kept industry secrets.

Both days were jam-packed with bargain-hunters searching for one-off discounts, and they were pleasantly surprised with the range of quality supplies which UAP had to offer, all at unbeatable prices. This may explain the incredibly positive feedback which UAP Tradelocks received from hordes of satisfied customers, both old and new.

Ken Cumberland from Andertons Key Lock & Safes had this to say about the TradeLocks Open Weekend:

"I just wanted to say a big thank you for a fantastic Sunday I spent at UAP. I have learnt a lot and also spent some too. I hope this will be the first of many weekends that you will hold from now on as I for one will be attending again. Your hospitality was overwhelming and fantastic with astounding deals on the day, plus what a privilege to spend time with the greats of our world! Thank you."

Tony from Abbey Locks Locksmiths also praised the conscientious efforts and exertions which UAP went to, stating that he had, "Just got home from the Open Day, met some old faces and picked up some great deals on tools, just wanted to say thank you to the team for a very enjoyable time."

It was most certainly an eventful and exciting weekend, with a great time being had by all. Young and old alike thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the general consensus was that the next event cannot come soon enough.

Paul Watts of County Locksmiths described the weekend as, "An unmissable occasion, professionally-run and full of interesting classes and demonstrations. Myself and my son especially enjoyed the Genuine Lishi training course, as it gave us the chance to work with top quality tooling under the watchful eye of leading industry experts. We cannot wait until the next event!"

This is a testament to all of the hard work and tireless efforts put in by UAP in order to ensure that everything ran like clockwork and went according to plan!

If you want to find out more about why the TradeLocks Open Weekend proved to be one of the highlights of the calendar year, all you need to do is get visit www.tradelocks.co.uk.

3rd December 2014