Consumer goods fairs making powerful headway

A customarily high level of service, substantial investment in the infrastructure, a strong sense of community and the direct link to the Baltic are causing Scandinavia's exhibition landscape to flourish.

Economically, the Nordic countries have developed very similarly in recent years. Norway's economy is heavily dependent on energy, shipping and deep-sea fishing, while Sweden and Finland have traditionally been the paper and pulp producers of Europe. Both countries are also strong on mechanical engineering and IT. Denmark has a long tradition of agriculture and various services sectors. Year for year gross domestic product has grown by an average of three to four percent in latter years, with inflation running at 1.5 to 2.5 %.
Low interest rates have driven up private consumer spending sharply in recent years, and this is also reflected in the exhibition industry, with a boom in consumer goods shows focusing on the public. The exodus of large sections of manufacturing has likewise triggered enormous changes in organisers exhibition portfolios, which are seeing the advent of new themes, chiefly in the services sector.
At Bella Center A/S in Copenhagen, exhibition-makers are especially proud of their Copenhagen Fashion Fair, which its organisers say even outstrips the CPD in Düsseldorf this year in terms of space. In addition to the halls providing around 50,000 m2 of exhibition area, BC also operates a congress centre, the Scandinavian Trade Mart and a multipurpose facility located in the centre of town. The BC Group notched up sales in 2005 of EUR 58.8 million. There are plans to build an exhibition hotel that would offer nearby accommodation to the roughly 1.1 million visitors a year.
Less well-known, but larger nonetheless is the Exhibition Centre Herning on the Jutland peninsula featuring exhibition space of roughly 91,000 m2. Shows there revolve around Formland, the trade fair for household goods and gifts, as well as various agricultural exhibitions.
Around 5.4 % of Finnish marketing budgets are spent on trade fairs, adding up in 2005 to roughly EUR 145 million. Finland's biggest exhibition organiser is the Finnish Fair Corporation, which operates Helsinki Fair Centre and the slightly smaller halls at the city docks. Roughly 44,000 m2 of gross exhibition space is available, it being estimated that last year 280,000 m2 was rented out to 10,000 exhibiting companies. Other important Finnish organisers are Tampere Trade Fairs and Jyväskylä Fair Ltd. Their favourable geographic location close to the expanding Russian market and the new EU members on the Baltic means that fairs in the Finnish capital are assuming an increasingly important position as a link to those countries. Well-known internationally is PulPaper in Helsinki; it and its sister fair SPCI in Stockholm are the world's leading paper and pulp industry exhibitions.
The major player on the Norwegian exhibition market is Norway Trade Fairs, headquartered in Lillestrøm, a small town near Oslo. In 2004 Norwegian exhibition organisers notched up total sales of EUR 66.5 million, 40 % of which were generated by Norway Trade Fairs. Built in 2002, the 32,000 m2 facility hosts around 30 to 40 trade fairs a year. The Norwegian economy is driven mainly by gas and oil, shipping and fisheries. Norshipping is therefore devoted to these themes, drawing international audiences. Events can also be staged in Hellerud on 20,000 m2 or in the Stavanger Forum on 17,000 m2.
Stockholm International Fairs and the Swedish Exhibition Centre Göteborg (Gothenburg) dominate the exhibition market in Sweden. Other important organisers are Elmia in Jönköping, the Malmö Exhibition & Convention Centre and Nolia, the biggest organisers in the north of the country. The Swedes last year spent around EUR 380 million on their exhibition appearances, five percent more than in the previous year. Trade fairs account for 6.6 % of the marketing budget there.
Heavy investment has been made in recent years in the infrastructure, with a 250-bed hotel launched this May in Stockholm. Gothenburg already operates one of the biggest hotels in Scandinavia, and further expansion is on the cards. The exhibition centre in Stockholm comprises around 57,900 m2. Between 55 and 65 fairs are held each year. Well-known brands are Stockholm Furniture Fair, the construction fair Nordbygg and SPCI for the pulp and paper industry. The Swedish Exhibition Centre Göteborg has an area of 38,000 m2. The major exhibitions are the packaging trade fair Scanpack and the travel and tourism exhibition Tur. Cooperation between the comparatively small Nordic organisers has traditionally been very close. Stockholm International Fairs and the Finnish Fair Cooperation receive financial support from Stockholm Adforum Ab, the organiser of the world's two biggest pulp and paper fairs.Bror Felixson

m+a report Nr.5 / 2006 vom 14.08.2006
m+a report vom 14. August 2006