Euroshop 2017: Welcome to the global village

The trade fair industry has become much more international in recent decades. Those looking for partners in different regions of the world will find it worthwhile to visit the IFES stand. 

By taking part in Euroshop 2017, the International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services (IFES) is pursuing a number of different objectives. “We are a port of call and a meeting place for our members,” says IFES executive director Uta Goretzky. “Anyone who communicates in three dimensions with an international focus is very welcome at our stand.” The idea behind the stand in Hall 4 (number: F 36) is to present individual IFES projects in some detail. In this way visitors learn more about the activities of the federation. Training plays an important role, and a new scheme is being launched in the autumn. Project managers who have so far worked in the domestic economy can acquire international expertise and qualify as IFES certified experts. Their certificates will be presented to them at the IFES World Summit 2018.

Another event presented at Euroshop will also be taking place later in the year, from 6 to 8 December. The second IFES Master Class in Singapore is aimed at people like marketing professionals, designers, architects and project managers. Acclaimed speakers will deliver a high-calibre three-day programme of lectures on marketing. The master class is also intended to facilitate networking. That’s an important factor at Euroshop as well, of course, where the IFES stand takes up an impressive 660 square metres. Almost a third of that is allocated to its centrepiece, the Global Village. “The 16 member companies involved each have 12 square metres,” says Uta Goretzky. “Their countries of origin range from A for Argentina to Z for ZA, the country code of South Africa.” Companies from the US, Poland and Iran are also involved. This geographical diversity highlights how broadly based the IFES is. It opens up new options to exhibitors with international activities that are looking for partners in particular markets. Moreover, they see how communication varies from one market to another, according to Goretzky.

The Global Village also features a real eye-catcher. A round white band with a width of 1.5 metres suspended from the ceiling draws the eye to the Global Village. It hangs up to eight metres above the catering area, which is one floor higher. The IFES will be tracking visitors’ movements at the stand. “That will tell us which areas are particularly attractive and how visitors proceed through the stand,” explains Goretzky. “Depending on the results of the tracking, minor adjustments can be made.” The IFES stand will be particularly full on Monday 6 March, when a big stand party will be held there from 5 pm to around 10 pm. In addition, the international association is also a content partner of the Expo+ Event Forum and will be contributing both on Sunday 5 March, on the subjects of sustainability and new materials, as well as on Wednesday 8 March, when it will be looking both at projects that illustrate best practice and at market developments in specific regions, including Russia (www.ifesnet.com).