Demo trade fairs on the upswing

Live demonstrations contribute to the great popularity of recycling aktiv and TiefbauLive 2015

The highly successful steinexpo 2014 have given the organisers of recycling aktiv and TiefbauLive 2015 renewed impetus. The double-bill trade fair will take place from 11 to 13 June 2015 at the Baden-Airpark at the Karlsruhe / Baden-Baden airport and is already showing its colours as the demo show of the year 2015. This puts it fully in trend with specialised trade fairs with live demonstrations.

The extent to which the demo concept is accepted by trade fair visitors was recently demonstrated by the steinexpo with more than 48,000 trade visitors. The organisers GEOPLAN would like to exploit this impetus for demo trade fairs for recycling aktiv and the German Association for Construction Industry Engineers and Professionals (VDBUM) for TiefbauLive. “We want to present machinery and equipment for all areas of recycling of recoverable materials live and as practical as possible. This so-called demo concept is the heart of recycling aktiv and clearly sets it apart from other events. Personally, I am a convinced proponent of this concept, and I receive much support from the relevant industries for my position,” says Dr. Friedhelm Rese, CEO of GEOPLAN GmbH, and overall organiser of the two trade fairs. Dieter Schnittjer, CEO of VDBUM Service GmbH, experiences the same support for live demo shows from the market protagonists in the construction machinery sector: “The live experience and tangible results are highly valued by trade visitors and also extremely important in making sound investment decisions. Therefore, we will expand the multi-layered approach of the model construction site on TiefbauLive even further and for the first time also demonstrate equipment for foundation engineering. I am absolutely convinced that this demo fair offers a cost-effective alternative to individual presentations at clients. For this reason, VDBUM has put together a ‘sellers package’ and invites targeted sellers with their clients to the show.”

Dynamics as fair concept

The manufacturers and distributors of the respective machinery and equipment put their faith in the live and practical presentation of their products. There is no other show where they can present the performance capabilities and functionality of their equipment to the client in a more impressive manner. Renowned industry leaders such as Zeppelin, Hammel, Arjes, Wacker Neuson, Sandvik, JCB, Atlas and Doosan – to name only a few – have already confirmed their participation.

After the previous double-bill trade fair in 2013 already broke through the 10,000 barrier with its 10,130 visitors, thus recording an increase of ten per cent, the organisers are optimistic that the dynamic development of demo shows will continue to run ‘in the fast lane’. There is definitely room for further growth on the Baden-Airpark fairgrounds. Running the fair from Thursday to Saturday has proven to be spot on and this timeframe will be kept in the future. The Saturday is particularly suited to owners and decision-makers of smaller firms to spend some quality time at the fair. The easy accessibility of the Baden-Baden venue by car, train or plane and the proximity of neighbouring countries Switzerland and France places the exhibition in an attractive catchment area.

An impressive 70 per cent of the 9-hectare fairgrounds were used as demonstration areas at the previous event, making this event a huge live show. This dynamic is the characteristic of the successful double-bill exhibition. This is reflected in the special event ‘The mobile scrap and scrap metal yard’ and the special theme ‘Paper, Cardboard, Cardboard Packaging’ in a special area on the recycling aktiv side and with the ‘Model Construction Site’ focusing on the main disciplines of civil engineering on the TiefbauLive side.

The unique and vibrant concept of recycling aktiv speaks for itself. To further enhance this dynamic theme and the added value to the fair for exhibitors and visitors, the newly designed and centrally placed marquee tent halls better integrate the classic indoor floor space with the live fair events. The variably opening side walls and innovative hall layout planning improve customer contact and now connect the pavilion exhibitors ‘seamlessly’ with the vibrant activities of the open area.

With the practical and impressive performance records of the machines and plants on show and the proven high share of trade visitors, the double-bill trade fair is the highlight of the 2015 exhibition calendar for both exhibitors and visitors from the participating sectors.