EUROFINISH 2009: FACTS & FIGURES
Surface treatment niche fair proves successful
The 8th edition of the biennial Eurofinish trade fair (7 - 9 October 2009) finished as a success. A total of 113 exhibitors drew 3148 visitors looking for information and new products in the surface treatment area. There were also a wide variety of innovations at this edition. They helped cement the reputation of this biennial niche fair as a venue for continuous research and innovation.
Besides the comprehensive range of products on display, the information aspect of the fair was significant. Numerous foreign visitors confirmed the international character of the fair. Eurofinish attracts many professionals from a wide variety of sectors, such as the aviation industry. They were highly enthusiastic about the fair offerings. Once again, the exhibitors were also very satisfied with the quality of the visitors.
One of the predominant trends that could be seen at Eurofinish is that in response to customer demand, manufacturers and suppliers are constantly searching for new products to facilitate compliance with statutory regulations, such as avoiding chromate in end products (electrical and electronic components), eliminating toxic materials in product finishing, getting a head start on the impending solvents directive, complying with the ATEX directive, and so on. We found that the suppliers attending Eurofinish demonstrated a high degree of specialisation. There was also a stronger focus on niche technologies that can provide very high quality and flexibility. Visitors looking for strong support, including within their own regions, found a large number of stands offering consultation and support services.
Nocturne a big hit
The fair remained open until 8 p.m. on Thursday, 8 October. No less than 33% of the visitors on Thursday began their visit to the fair after 3 p.m. - a clear indication that busy professionals appreciated this sort of initiative and took advantage of it to visit the fair at their leisure without sacrificing productive hours or wasting time in traffic. The nocturne concept unquestionably enhanced the value of this trade fair.
Vom-village
Eurofinish featured a VOM village. This interactive forum during the three days of the fair gave industry an opportunity to get acquainted with SME's, laboratories, college or university R&D departments, collective research centres and public institutions conducting research in the surface treatment field. In many cases, this scientific research does not penetrate adequately into the commercial world, despite the fact that innovations can play a crucial role in the success of a company these days. Visitors as well as exhibitors responded positively to this initiative.
In short, Eurofinish sufficiently inspires companies to cooperate with other entrepreneurs, knowledge centres and commercial organisations to weave a strong industrial fabric in the surface treatment sector.
The ninth edition of Eurofinish will be held on 27 - 28 - 29 September 2011.