Egetenmeir was responding to comments Terex’s chief marketing officer Katia Facchetti recently, where she argued that the AEM’s ConExpo Asia offered the industry more than Messe München’s Bauma China. Facchetti said, “Shows are best owned by associations, where the revenue generated will be used to support the overall interests of the industry. If Bauma was concerned about supporting our industry, they could work with an industry association to provide some benefits to the industry of the investment made in Bauma.”
Egetenmeir argues that it’s the overall benefit of the show to exhibitors that should be judged: “The exhibitor always pays very careful attention to which event gives him the best return on investment. Kickback models to industry play a subordinate role if the show doesn’t generate for the exhibitors those all-important new business contacts. The fact that Bauma China 2008 was already fully booked by its deadline—and indeed now has a waiting list—shows us as the organisers that we have the right concept for this event and that the Chinese and foreign exhibitors have great confidence in it.
Facchetti and Egetenmeir agree on one point: there are too many shows. Facchetti said, “I am appalled by the time, resources and cost that goes into trade shows in this industry. There are too many shows. For the massive cross industry shows, one per continent would be the best use of resources.” Egetenmeir agreed, “Judging by the feedback we receive from our customers, we share this view. Bauma China was the first show in this sector to be put on by a foreign organiser in the Chinese trade fair market; it was organised in close cooperation with the organiser of Bices and scheduled to alternate with existing events in China. It is now by far the most successful trade fair for construction machinery and building material machinery in Asia. Other organisers have also been trying for some years now to jump on the bandwagon, and put on their events.”
Egetenmeir argues that Bauma China’s success speaks for itself: “From the start, Bauma China was a success for exhibitors and visitors. The 2006 event broke all records, attracting 1,088 exhibitors and over 80,000 visitors from 118 countries, and taking up 150,000 square metres of exhibition space. The number of participants from abroad is higher than at any other construction machinery show in China. Many new business contacts are made at this event.
“Its success is due to synergies from the leading trade fair Bauma in Munich, to the choice of Shanghai as a venue, and to the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre and its infrastructure. No other exhibition venue in Asia can boast exhibition halls and an open-air site that were designed and built from the start to match the requirements of a construction machinery show. This was not simply by coincidence: the organiser of Bauma in Munich and Bauma China in Shanghai is a joint venture partner in the Shanghai exhibition centre and paid attention that the venue complies with the specific requirements of a machinery show.
Terex has said it won’t be taking a stand at Bauma China. Egetenmeir points out this won’t leave an empty space at the show: “One good indicator of how satisfied the participants were with Bauma China is the very high level of registrations received for Bauma China 2008. By the deadline for registrations, all the space had been booked and in fact demand for space has far exceeded the available capacity.”
