What do tell us more than 2600 exhibitors ready to exhibit, no matter what?
What do tell us more than 2600 exhibitors ready to exhibit, no matter what?
On Sunday October 25th the Italian Prime Ministerial Decree has stopped the development of all the Italian trade shows, and in the following days even stricter measures in France and Germany have followed up declaring an indefinite end of all the professional exhibitions and congresses all over Europe.
We don’t want to get into a measure that, just few days later, seems already outdated and maybe will be replaced soon by even stricter measures that are going to take us back to the harder moments of isolation already experienced, but rather discuss about the numbers that were suspended around the upcoming realization of tradeshow, just one week ago
Thinking only of the main events already in the assembly or tracing period in Rimini, Parma, Verona and Modena exhibition centers thanks to the green light given by the previous week’s Decree, if we sum the confirmed exhibitors of MecSpe (1350), Ecomondo & Key Energy Expo (700), Fiera Cavalli (300), Skipass (250) we get a aggregate of over than 2600 exhibitors ready to exhibit (these the declared data or the ones in our possession).
We’re talking about very variegated types of events, product groups, kind of audience and internationality level.
Nevertheless, this huge amount of companies, almost exclusively Italian, were ready to kick off their respective exhibitions.
What does this incredible figure tell us?
In my opinion, there are some elements of reading.
First of all, the irreplaceability of this tool. It is indisputably witnessed that the tradeshow in each different sector wasn’t a frill, a leisure week or a way of satisfying the bloating of managing directors or owners.
If so many realities, often small size SME, were willing to be there anyway in spite of knowing that the audience and the general conditions would have been modest, is because they know that exhibit is crucial.
Let’s not forget that when things will get back on track.
And then, that we have to be ready with all the tools available: with this sudden change of direction, who disposed of calibrated and ready to use platforms has been able to empower them and declare that the salons had been moved to virtual 100%, while the others did not.
Of course, not all events have the same degree of digital declination, but this path, that means for those who design and run a fair guide their ecosystem to the new reality, is unavoidable.
The term hybrid will keep us company for a long time, and we will have to make peace with that.
Finally, the malaise in thinking about the whole supply chain and professionalism which makes the fairs (and congresses and street events and many other things too) those beams of light and energy during the days of development: from the stand builders to the catering companies, from the hostesses to the florists and who knows how many other realities I forget to mention.
The risk of losing them permanently is too high and the trade fair world cannot afford it. At least this time their protest has reached the national chronicles: the need to map all these professional skills is felt as urgent.
Now, unfortunately, a long period of waiting is opening, before seeing again fairs in attendance.
Emanuele Vicentini | emanuele@fairlyfair.it
