ITMA 2003 was my ninth as an exhibitor and work-ing journalist, and I and my colleagues worked throughout the nine days of the show, then on the way home I recalled my very intense impressions. In 1983 ITMA was first destined for Birmingham, but two years before that date it was found that the National Exhibi-tion Centre, which was to have harboured the show, could compete only by obtaining a government subsidy for the re-quired expansion. The British Department of Trade considered that this would equally benefit Britain's foreign competitors. Instead the Department planned to spend in 1980 some ￡16m to help British companies attend overseas exhibitions, instead of inviting foreign firms to Britain. In the end the inadequacy of Britain's fa-cilities for holding an industrial fair cost it the honour of holding ITMA at that time. ITMA 1983 therefore returned to Milan.
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