Mr. Cormann, Belgium was hit particularly hard by the Corona virus. Can you see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel in the meantime?
Erich Cormann: The pandemic has meanwhile been curbed somewhat and an initial relaxation of the regulations has taken place. A few weeks ago, the companies from the catering trade for example were able to start operating again, but many of them are only open for half of the week. Short-time work is the order of the day across all industries, including also the promotional products sector. We are receiving the first enquiries again and one is noticing a slight upturn, but business is still scarce and well below the normal level.
Erich Cormann
It wasn’t sure for a long time either whether the BAPP Networking Day was allowed to be staged. How did it come about that you can now hold the trade fair?
Erich Cormann: In the course of the relaxation of the lockdown measures, events have also been allowed to take place again for some time, from August onwards indoor events with up to 400 people are allowed and outdoor events with up to 800 people. We waited until mid-June to take a decision and asked our suppliers beforehand what their opinion was regarding the trade fair. In the meantime, 33 companies have confirmed their participation – as a comparison: we had received around 60 confirmations prior to Corona – that suffices in order to be able to organise the Networking Day. Our target and maximum capacity this year is 40 exhibitors. Many companies are welcoming the fact that we are sending out a positive signal by holding the trade fair, after all they haven’t been able to visit their customers for a long time and are glad to be able to meet up with them again – even if they have to wear a mask. Unlike in the past years, the Networking Day is being staged at the De Waerboom Congress Hotel again – this offers more space for a tourlike visitor guidance and also allows us to locate the catering outdoors. We consciously opted for a September venue, because for us the August seemed to be too early still.
Which protective measures will you be undertaking?
Erich Cormann: Of course, we will ensure that the safety distance of 1.5 m is always adhered to and will make ample disinfectant agents available. All of the exhibitors are instructed to keep their staff down to a minimum and not to erect big stands. We will provide them with tables, on which they can present several novelties. We are also dispensing with bar tables. The visitor flow will be organised as a one-way system and every visitor will be provided with disinfectant gel and a mask at the entrance, because in Belgium masks are obligatory indoors. Anyone, who has a temperature or shows symptoms of a respiratory illness, has to stay at home. In the current situation, when many people are still frightened and insecure, one has to convey a feeling of safety – also to convince potential visitors, who are still unsure about visiting the trade fair. We are not organising an evening event this year and are also doing without elaborate catering. This will keep the costs down for the exhibitors too. We are not aiming to make a profit, but instead simply want to offer a platform that enables the industry players to come into contact with each other again. Face-to-face encounters have to take place again – even with a mask.
How about touching products – after all the haptic aspect is essential, isn’t it?
Erich Cormann: Of course, nothing can replace the haptic feel – we have to solve this problem too. The only opportunity is to hand out pre-packed samples or lay them out for collection.
What feedback are you expecting?
Erich Cormann: We will have a maximum of 40 exhibitors, including also international companies. It is difficult to say how many visitors will attend. However, I am expecting distributors, who normally come with their entire sales force, to appear with just one or two employees. But that is okay too – the most important thing is that encounters can take place at all and that leads can be generated. We are charging an all inclusive exhibitor fee of 550 Euros – that is a fair price, especially against the background that no company can simply visit its customers at present, because the external sales forces are all on short-time work at the moment. So, we are offering a highly-efficient contact platform. But that is just one aspect – the other one is that we are sending a clear signal to the market that things are taking off again – that is also why the trade fair’s motto is “Restart”.
The BAPP Networking Day trade show is organised by the Belgian industry association BAPP (Belgian Association of Promotional Products) and it is the most important contact platform between promotional products suppliers and distributors on the Belgian market. The event organised by the association’s management takes place annually at alternating locations. The exhibitors comprise of Belgian and international suppliers. Both BAPP members as well as non-members are allowed to attend the trade show. This year’s Networking Day is being staged under the appropriate motto “Restart” on September 9, 2020 at the De Waerboom Congress Hotel in Groot-Bijgaarden, near Brussels.
What do you think are the chances of the market recovering in the second half of the year?
Erich Cormann: There is the chance that the Christmas trade will be able to at least make up for some of the losses. That is why we are encouraging the suppliers to exhibit many products for the year-end business. However, the most important thing is that as an industry we all move forward optimistically. That means also conveying the strengths of our communication medium to the end users.
Do we need a new mindset after Corona?
Erich Cormann: Definitely! I still receive at least two or three mailings a week containing advertising as if nothing has happened. Companies taking this approach are totally off target. We have to adapt to suit the new situation. I recently saw an advertisement for a kitchen that focused on the theme community. A year ago, the same manufacturer would have placed the emphasis on the functionality of his kitchen, now one is addressing themes that touch the people emotionally. In the same way, our industry has to communicate things differently and set new focuses, also at product level. It starts with us going out and facing the new situation and actively contacting each other – and no longer exclusively online, but also live and personally.
