A nicely surprising METS
METS was a nice surprise this year
After a year that’s brought some harrowing economic prospects, it was nice to get back to a METS that bucked the trend on exhibitors and visitor outlooks, says Peter Nash.
Getting to the end of what I think most will agree has been a very strange business year, it was great that METS showed us a steady continuation from last year.
In a year where exhibition organisers have been screaming that a show equalling last year’s exhibitors and visitors was the greatest thing since sliced bread, it was nice to find METS offered us more of both.
OK, we’re not talking big numbers here, but when the PSP SBS at 9% down was the best of a European bunch of shows, exhibitor numbers at 1,331 (against 1,320 last year) and visitors at 19,232 (18,861) was a very welcome end to the season.
In a year referred to by Theo Lingmont, a director of International Exhibitions Amsterdam RAI, at the METS opening as one of “tough choices”, the quality and quantity of visitors made for a vibrant, busy three days, leaving exhibitors with a sense of cautious optimism.
I think we all left the RAI this year with a bit more than that. I couldn’t find anyone who wasn’t upbeat at the end of the show (well; there are always one or two, aren’t there?). The most positive thing about METS this year was the positive attitude of the visitors.
Take a look at our METS Show Quotes that start on the front page and run through our news section. This year’s METS was a great show.
Parking
OK, I found a few exhibitors very annoyed at the parking this year, with threats of heavy fines for parking in the wring place and being forced to park a long way from the RAI.
I put these points (and others) to the RAI and was told the METS breakdown is always hectic and this year there was another event dismantling in the RAI at the same time.
However, the RAI says METS exhibitors were informed about the procedures beforehand. “But,” the RAI told me, “for 2012, we will discuss the procedure with some UK exhibitors to see if we can accommodate them further.”
Something else that brought a lot of exhibitors up with a bit of a start was the Navimo suppliers’ meeting on the Wednesday morning at which they were told Navimo was having a spot of bother and they would be paid just 30% in the pound.
The remainder of the money, according to some present at the meeting, might be paid “at some time in the future” if they continued supplying Navimo. Feelings were running high by the end of the show.
Albert Journo
I spent some time at the show with Navimo’s Cathy Millien trying to get the full story, but I then received a telephone call on the Friday from Navimo’s president, Albert Journo.
He assured me the company was financially sound and companies would be paid the 30p in the pound. Those that entered into an agreement to continue trading normally(!) with Navimo would then get 20% in March 2012, 25% in April and 25% in May 2012.
Navimo says it will be loyal to the suppliers who support them in “these unusual circumstances”. And the company says it will settle all new orders on normal payment terms…
Back to METS. The Breakfast Briefing was an excellent affair given by the CEO of Ducati, Gabriele del Torchio. I spoke to him before he gave his talk and he assured me Valentino Rossi would be back on the podium in 2012.
The DAME Awards also brought a gasp of I’m not sure what when it was announced the Revolving Portlight from Stampaggio Costruzioni Meccaniche (SCM) was the overall winner.
The jury felt it delivered an outstanding combination of inspired practicality, delightful aesthetics and first class engineering. The trick here is the portlight doesn’t open at right angles. It swings round one of the dogs on the same plane, so when open, there’s nothing to disturb the curtains, said the Jury.
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