The first edition of FASTENER POLAND – the polish trade fair for fastener and fixing technology – which took place on 28th – 30th November 2017, fulfilled the expectations of even the most demanding exhibitors and visitors. Here Editor Will Lowry provides a first-hand report on the show.
Organised by Trade Fairs in Kraków Ltd, along with ELAMED, FASTENER POLAND took place at the Targowe Expo in Kraków. Over 110 exhibitors were listed for FASTENER POLAND, which was co-located with the EUROTOOL® and BLACH-TECH EXPO and included related show rooms of industrial cooperation, automation and robotics, and CAx technology.
Up to 73% of exhibitors were companies from foreign countries, including China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Taiwan, the UK, the USA and Italy.
John Barton, marketing assistant at Lancaster Fastener Co Ltd, reported a successful show: “Central and eastern European countries are exciting prospects for Lancaster and so FASTENER POLAND was the perfect platform to spread the word about our brand. We welcomed visitors from 10 countries over the three days with 65% from Poland. A mix of long established contacts and ‘new to Lancaster’ companies made up the majority of visits – with the latter encouragingly accounting for 50% of visits. The show being ran in parallel with EUROTOOL meant a diverse mix of stand visits, but overall we made contact with a healthy number of fastener distributors with whom we hope to develop long-lasting relationships. We’re excited to see how the show develops over the coming years.”
A similar opinion was also expressed by Laura Giersch, exports manager at IMS Verbindungstechnik GmbH & Co. “For the first time in the history of our company, we exhibited at a trade fair in Poland. We had a very positive impression, with the interest in our products substantial. It is clearly very important to be present at such an event – we met current customers and acquiring new ones. It was good.”
Organisers reported strong visitor statistics with FASTENER POLAND and the concurrent trade fair EUROTOOL attracting nearly 11,000 visitors, 26% of whom were from foreign countries. Visitors represented such industries as metal processing, automotive, joinery, construction, furniture and others.
Exhibitors reported that the morning of each of the three days was very busy with the number of visitors tailing off after lunch. “On the first two days of the show we were facing an unexpected large amount of visitors – especially on the second day,” comments Kamil Piatkowski, managing director at ASTRA Trade. “There were mostly B2B visitors including wholesalers, industry and some smaller companies. There were also some end users, and on the third day of the show many people from the education sector were observed.”
Kamil adds: “Regarding the range of visitors, we were able to welcome visitors from all over Poland but also from east and central European countries such as Ukraine, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Russia. There were also some visitors from the UK, Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and Sweden. The show has been a great opportunity to gain new customers mostly from Estonia, Romania, Ukraine and of course many new potential customers from Poland. We have already confirmed some new customers from the show, and we are already selling products to these new companies. We will definitely attend the next edition of the FASTENER POLAND show.”
In addition to the show, there were also presentations in Polish focusing on the newest industrial fasteners and fixing solutions, construction fasteners, mounting and installation systems, as well as fastener manufacturing technologies and equipment for their storage and distribution. Another important event that complemented the trade fair programme was the Fasteners Congress, during which the professionals from the industry presented innovative solutions in the use and application of fasteners and specialised tools.
“From the very first day of the show both exhibitors and visitors were highly impressed by the event,” said Grażyna Grabowska, president of organisers – Trade Fairs in Kraków Ltd. “The reason is because of the high attendance – the event was visited by professionals from all over Poland and by representatives of the industry from other countries, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the UK and Italy – while the others appreciated the rich and comprehensive offer. The opening edition of the show outgrew the expectations of the businesses exhibiting there. Everything therefore seems to point towards next year’s edition being even better, and with bigger stands.”
The organisers are already issuing invitations for the second edition of FASTENER POLAND, which will take place on 16th – 18th October 2018.
Will joined Fastener + Fixing Magazine in 2007 and over the last 15 years has experienced every facet of the fastener sector - interviewing key figures within the industry and visiting leading companies and exhibitions around the globe.
Will manages the content strategy across all platforms and is the guardian for the high editorial standards that the Magazine is renowned.
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