The news has been around for some time: Made Expo 2017 will see the official debut of an area dedicated to technology for wooden windows and constructions, in addition to equivalent solutions for Pvc and aluminum. It will be called “Woodworking Area”, an area coordinated by Acimall (the association of Italian wood technology suppliers), further expanding the rich portfolio of product categories lined up in the halls of the biennial event.
The area, located inside the “Made Envelope and Windows” exhibition in hall 3, will offer opportunities for meetings and professional update for many operators from the door and window business (in 2015 there were as many as 33 thousand).
“We are starting off cautiously – said Dario Corbetta, Acimall director – but we really believe in this opportunity we are developing with Made Eventi. We know well that constructions are emerging from a difficult period, with ups and downs that have had a heavy impact on the investment propensity of window manufacturers and anyone involved in the production of wooden elements for building envelopes.
We know we have a great opportunity to promote one of the many values of wood technology, not only in Italy. We are appreciated for secondary processing, for furniture production solutions, but the manufacturers of made-in-Italy technology also offer a rich portfolio of housing solutions, and they will be able to show it at Made Expo, addressing a different audience from the traditional operators that visit our industry exhibitions”.
THE NEXT MADE EXPO
What can we expect next March? According to Cresme, a key reference in econometric analysis for the construction industry, in 2017 we will benefit from 2.6 percent growth in construction investments. This figure adds to and further supports the forecasts for this year, when Ance (the Italian association of construction companies) expects 0.3 percent increase in real terms and 1.3 percent in current terms, with even better results for extraordinary maintenance activities, closing this year at plus 1.9 percent (up by 21.3 percent since 2008), and for renovation/requalification investments, which should increase by 1,3 billion euro in 2016 (plus 1.9 percent versus 2015).
GIOVANNI GRASSI
To discuss this topic, we visited Giovanni Grassi, director of Made Eventi, to talk about this exhibition– launched in 2008 and now at its eighth edition – that seems ready to consolidate its formula and position within the international calendar.
“No one can deny that Made Expo, in its early years, tried to give the best possible interpretation of the needs of construction industries”, Grassi noted. “The exhibition came out of a story you all know, from a relocation to Milan, from early tests with annual frequency and then the decision – as requested by its target industries – to switch to biennial frequency. In 2017, the first biennial edition was held in March, which is definitely the most logical placement during the year, considering the international exhibition calendar and the needs of the different target industries. I want to stress, no matter how obvious it is, that Made Expo is and wants to be increasingly international, so we deploy strategies that are not limited to the Italian market, but address a wider audience in terms of exhibitors and visitors alike, as well as relationships with many other events organized around the world and addressing the same target of operators”.
By the way, you boldly decided to run your exhibition two months after Bau in Munich…
“Actually, the companies exhibiting at Bau consider Made an opportunity to go deeper into specific topics, and we should not forget that Bau is an international excellence, mostly German, also with a largely predominant share of German visitors. In our opinion, Made has a clear role, a different style, a strong focus on design and projects, and on the so-called “beauty style” which is typically Italian”.
Which will be the distinctive features of the next edition?
“We will offer a clear layout, with specialized exhibitions that help visitors and exhibitors find their way within a clear context. Four shows – “Constructions and materials”, “Building Envelope and Windows”, “Interiors and Finishings” and “Software, Technologies and Services” – represent the foundation of our philosophy and provide exhibitors with a context that fits their business and ensures a targeted flow of visitors, with a specific interest in that area. There is another interesting element in my opinion: a survey we carried out revealed that Made Expo visitors normally visit three out of four exhibitions, thus generating new relationships beyond the standard routes”.
So, Made is generating new opportunities…
“Sure. We have identified a clear layout, but this does not change the fact that we are promoting new contacts, offering different opportunities for discussion and in-depth knowledge, an essential role for any exhibition. There is another activity we are investing in, supported by Ice which included our event in the list of exhibitions of international relevance, providing resources that enable us to give additional support to the internationalization of companies. I am referring to promotion abroad through the deployment of promotion and information campaigns, meetings and invitations to delegations from 25 countries at least, with the specific purpose of generating a flow of highly qualified operators from all over the world. Another area of commitment, mainly focused on the domestic market, is the organization of events, conferences and demos during the exhibition, with the aim of educating and informing visitors and helping companies address very specific target audiences, creating a virtuous circle between events and exhibition areas… We have already identified several initiatives, including a forum for wood and one for windows…”.
… it looks like Made is a complex and variegated container…
“…that’s true, therefore we are organizing events that can be attractive and “significant” for all the target audiences of our exhibition. This is even more important when the economic situation is critical and the market needs to be stimulated. Our exhibition invests a lot in terms of economic resources and organization, and as a result we have very high level of customer satisfaction: 95 percent of visitors declare that they are satisfied with the event and 80 percent are ready to come back. So, we work hard, we make huge efforts, but we also get much satisfaction”.
Can you mention some figures?
“In the latest event we had 1,450 exhibitors, including 279 foreign companies; visitors were 208 thousand, 36 thousand from abroad. This year we want to expand beyond the 65 thousand square meters of the 2015 event.
Back to visitors, in these weeks we are getting into the topical phase of our promotion campaign and we expect to achieve our consolidated target, with an increasing share of international visitors. Let me add that, in this industry more than any other, it is essential to address the operators who must be there, high-quality visitors who make the difference also in terms of exhibitor satisfaction”.
What about the launch of the new window and construction technology area?
“With Acimall we are promoting this initiative as we believe that it can become a major part of our exhibition, bringing satisfaction to both parties. We will learn from the first experience, it’s a challenge… we know that the event calendar in this segment is really dense, but we have decided to start off together, to open a new road, to lay the first cornerstone onto which we can build the future”.
