Record numbers at IRE show

The International Rental Exhibition (IRE) attracted a record number of visitors with more than 1600 attending, compared to 1035 three years ago, representing an increase of almost 55%.

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The IRE show was held alongside the European Rental Association’s (ERA) annual Convention and the APEX aerial platform show at the Amsterdam RAI exhibition centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 2-4 May. The 1600 delegates include the ERA convention delegates and exhibitor staff.

The general consensus was one of positivity at the show, which saw 65 exhibitors showcase new and existing products aimed at the construction rental market.

Speaking at ERA’s Convention, ERA president Pierre Boels, said: “The IRE show has overwhelmed our expectations, since the exhibition sold out much earlier than expected. We are very pleased to welcome over 60 exhibitors, including also first time exhibitors.”

“Few events in Europe give the opportunity to the manufacturers and other suppliers of the rental business to meet with the European rental business experts, all at once,” said Mr Boels, who is also president of Boels Rental.

The adjoining show APEX attracted 4650 delegates in total, including exhibitor staff, compared to 4400 in 2014.

Exhibitors spoke of the quality of people at the show, insisting influential buyers and decision makers visited their stands throughout the three days.

Jesús Martίnez, commercial manager, AEM, said: “The show has been good for us. We have not had a flood of people, but we’ve had good people come here. It is better to have one good person than 100 not so good. We have made some leads.”

JCB proved to be a major attraction at the show, following its launch into the access market. And, Phil Graysmark, sales director, JCB Access, said: “Obviously there’s been an attraction at our stand because of our new access equipment. We’ve had a lot of people on the stand and a lot of potential customers. It’s a shame we couldn’t bring all of our new access equipment really, but what we have brought seems to have gained some attention.” He added that, overall, it had been a really good show for JCB, at the perfect time as far as its access launch was concerned.

The exhibition is organised by Industrial Promotions International (I.P.I BV) and supported by KHL Group and International Rental News (IRN) magazine.

Tony Kenter, managing director of BV I.P.I. said: “We were delighted with the show. Holding IRE alongside the ERA convention and the APEX show remains a compelling model, attracting thousands of rental companies from all over the world. There is a positive mood in Europe’s rental market today, with Spain and Italy recovering, and growth evident in Germany, France, the UK and Nordic markets, as well as the Netherlands. It was the perfect time to bring together rental companies and their equipment suppliers. We look forward to returning to Amsterdam in three years’ time, although we still have to decide on the dates.”