B – The previous tenant had celebrated in the San Marco Village until five o’clock in the morning, but thanks to a great deal of flexibility the assembly work for the BAPP Networking Gift Show was completed on time, which meant everything was in place for the most important get-together of the Belgian promotional products industry on August 31, 2023. As every year, the Belgian Association of Promotional Products (BAPP) had invited members and non-members from the Belgian promotional products trade to attend the event. “For us the Networking Gift Show is not only an indispensable trade fair platform, it also allows us to present ourselves as an association and win over new members,” stated Johan de Mulder, BAPP Board Director. The association currently unites more than 170 members from all over Belgium.
According to official accounts, 72 promotional products suppliers exhibited in the Venetian ambiance of the event location in Schelle, near Antwerp, which has already been the attractive setting for the show several times. In addition to companies from Belgium, several manufacturers and importers from the Netherlands, Germany, France and further European countries took advantage of the opportunity to maintain their contacts with the Belgian promotional products trade. Whereas it is not necessary to be a BAPP member to visit the Networking Gift Show, membership is essential in order to exhibit at the show. Many of the exhibitors emphasised the significance of the show as a touchpoint with the Belgian market and praised the frequency and quality of the visitors.
According to the organisers, 310 people from 185 companies attended the trade show, 160 visitors took part in the festive dinner that rounded the day off nicely. Furthermore, several delegates from the German and Dutch promotional products association took advantage of the occasion to engage in an exchange about international association affairs with their Belgian colleagues.
“We are very pleased with the result of this year’s Networking Gift Show,” the BAPP Executive Manager, Michel Deboudt, said happily. “Our trade show has been the most important promotional products event in Belgium for the last 15 years. We are a small country with a great mindset.”
Photos: Till Barth, © WA Media
