EUROPE - EasyFairs hasattributed a double-digit rise in visitor to its StocExpo show for the bulkliquid storage sector to a subtle tweaking of features and networking content.
StocExpo was acquired by easyFairs last November for an undisclosed sum and is an annual peripatetic event. This year’s show in Rotterdam attracted 2,357 visitors (unaudited), a 51 per cent year-on-year rise, along with 180 exhibitors, up from 160 in 2011.
MD of StocExpo and easyFairs Matt Benyon said the organiser introduced a VIP lounge on the show floor, along with a VIP programme to boost visitor loyalty. A StocExpo lounge was also created as a networking space for exhibitors and the press.
“As the first edition of the event we organised, we made the decision to change very little in order to ensure a smooth transition,” Benyon explained. “Instead we made subtle updates to the features and layout, which our onsite research tells us improved both the visitor and exhibitor experience considerably.”
One such change was moving the conference theatre onto the show floor and expanding the show’s seminar programme. EasyFairs also introduced an extra build day for stand-only exhibitors along with free marketing tools.
“The visitor marketing campaign was intensified compared to previous years, with more HTML and online activity and a larger number of media and trade association partnerships across the globe,” Benyon continued. “We were also able to tap into new sources of visitor data thanks to our range of complementary easyFairs events across Europe.”
Next year’s StocExpo will be held in Antwerp from 19 to 21 March 2013.
“There is also an opportunity to increase visitors from key territories across the globe through new media relationships, database build and through developing relationships with yet more trade associations,” Benyon said.
In addition, the organiser launched two new events, Tank Storage Canada in Calgary on 16-17 October 2012 and Tank Storage Asia in Singapore on 11-12 December 2012. Both were well received by exhibitors and gained a number of forward bookings onsite, Benyon added.
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