The HAPTICA® live took place for the tenth time on September 6, 2022 at the WCCB (World Conference Center Bonn). The anniversary edition emphasised the significance the live platform has in the meantime for the marketing discipline haptic advertising: It has become the House of Haptics, where suppliers, distributors, agencies, buyers and marketing decision-makers meet up to engage in an exchange about the trends and themes of the market, discuss concrete projects and gain inspiration for future marketing tasks amid a relaxed atmosphere.
The joy of being able to meet up again live, hold authentic discussions and actually touch products and try them out oneself again was literally stamped on the faces of the booth staff of the 117 exhibitors and the 865 visitors from 605 companies. Since the obligation to wear a face mask – unlike in the two previous years – had been lifted, one was able to see the explosion of positive emotions that haptic advertising triggers off in the facial expressions of the participants again.
The good, relaxed mood was further enhanced by the excellent organisation and many small gifts – from cucumber water as a refreshing drink at the entrance area, through to hand cream in solid form in the washrooms – the appealing trade fair design and the almost obligatory HAPTICA® live sunshine, which radiated a friendly brightness in the foyer of the World Conference Center Bonn with its impressive glass roof construction.
However, the fact that all of the players were so enthusiastically busy at work, was of course more attributable to the subject matter at hand. Haptic advertising is simply fun and at this year’s edition of HAPTICA® live there was plenty to discover again. The exhibitor mix united brand name companies like Villeroy & Boch, Titan, Stabilo, Sigg, Sigikid, Leuchtturm, Leonardo or Gefu with established specialists and innovative start-ups and niche players. Vegan marzipan, water-free, solid cosmetics, take-away systems, pet supplies, construction kits for miniature models, entertainment electronics, fan items, workwear, rewritable notebooks or foldable straws made of stainless steel – there was something to suit all occasions and all tastes.
The visitors also received interesting input in the scope of the lecture programme. Featuring Kristin Bässe from Reporters without Borders, Jens Polkowski from Miles & More, Torsten Pfennig from the Kölner Haie ice hockey club and Anke Erpenbeck from the Cologne transport authority KVB, the cast of speakers was very diversified regarding the respective alignment of their employers. All four provided fascinating insights into how the potential of haptic advertising can be implemented: as a means of involvement (Reporters without Borders), for image profiling (KVB), to convey Lufthansa style or simply to “save one’s arse” through the challenging COVID times using merchandising, as the ice hockey manager Pfennig put it bluntly.
Each of the companies that took part in the lecture programme were also represented in the Best Practice Show with a special campaign, accompanied by further examples of haptic campaigns that had been executed with great attention to detail – from shoelaces for the aid of the Ukraine, through to a true-to-detail, mohair cuddly replica of Angela Merkel. A further highlight: In cooperation with the bag experts, Halfar, the organisers of the HAPTICA® live, WA Media, had ten courier bags sewn out of old trade show banners to commemorate the anniversary event – truly unique upcycling specimens which are being raffled off among the trade show participants in the scope of a prize draw.
Furthermore, the exhibition for the award winners of the Promotional Gift Award 2022 pointed out to the visitors what distinguishes successful promotional products. The public was able to examine and try out all 41 award-winning products and campaigns. Furthermore, prize-winning popcorn drew attention to the new Public Prize, which is going to be presented at the coming edition of the Promotional Gift Award in addition to the Jury Prize.
The managing partner of WA Media, Michael Scherer; the Project Manager Till Barth and their team reaped in plenty of positive feedback on the social networks, in interviews and surveys and in the direct exchange with exhibitors and visitors for the successful staging of the “Experience of Haptic Advertising”
“A trade fair at last again!” Nina Krannich from Toi Toi and Dixie Group said happily for instance: “I held many interesting discussions today and gained a personal impression about the latest trends on the haptic advertising market.” “Fantastic event, great set-up. Well done!” praised Steven Baumgaertner, Cybergroup. And Ursula A.T. Will, Lediberg, stated, “that all exhibitors must be well satisfied with the high frequency of visitors and above all the quality of the guests. We definitely are anyway.” She continued: “The organisers have succeeded in establishing a trade show that is a fixed date in the calendar and which one simply has to attend.”
Everyone who is interested in haptic advertising should thus save the date of March 15, 2023 in their diaries. Because that is when the next edition of HAPTICA® live is taking place, at the WCCB again.
// Dr. Mischa Delbrouck
www.haptica.live
Photos: Thomas Gebhard, Sabine Klüser, Beke Milas, Laura Müller, © WA Media; Bernadett Yehdou
Exhibitor statements
This edition of HAPTICA® live was super for the Christmas business again. We received many enquiries for customer or employee gifts for the end-of-year period. We will have to wait and see what actually comes about from the discussions, but we are thoroughly optimistic in this respect. We are also delighted that we were able to draw attention to the brand Sigg again and were for instance able to communicate to many customers that we produce items in Switzerland from recycled materials following a CO2 neutral process.
We found it positively surprising that the customers were already visiting our stand at 9 o’clock and that the flow of visitors didn’t start to ebb from 2 p.m. onwards. We held good discussions, which resulted in a lot of ideas, which we developed together with the customers. The HAPTICA® live is excellent especially for this kind of an exchange with customers. The HAPTICA® live is a very special, personal show, it is great fun every time, which is why it is a fixed date in our diary.
We are very pleased with the day here at the show and are glad that we were on board. We had loads of visitors at our stand and they showed great interest in our product range. The aroma stick, which is made of 100% organic material, particularly convinced our visitors. The small stick simply has to be twisted open and provides its owner with a pleasant (peppermint) aroma.
The day has gone extremely well so far. We have had visitors at the stand continuously and have already held several discussions with customers. We are also delighted that we have received so many enquiries already as well as positive feedback from the customers. The organisation has been perfect too. Overall, one can sense how good the mood is here and that both the exhibitors and visitors are delighted to come into contact with each other.
This year’s HAPTICA® live went well overall, not quite as good as we had imagined, but it wasn’t bad either. The people visiting us are very interested, and we have had a few good enquiries. The versatile packaging options for our water are impressing the customers.
Visitor statements
We regularly visit the HAPTICA® live – the location, presentation and format of the show are simply spot on for us and we can engage in a good exchange with the suppliers. We choose our favourites among the exhibitors in advance using the event guide – i.e. for activities and campaigns planned at the end of the year. But there is always enough time to get an overview of the remaining products offered. Regarding product trends, the clear focus lies on sustainability in the meantime.
I often attend trade shows and I was positively surprised how many haptic advertising suppliers are exhibitin here that I don’t know. I also discovered several products among the winners of the Promotional Gift Award that I didn’t know before – a very inspiring exhibition. So, visiting the HAPTICA® live was absolutely worthwhile. What’s more, I also got to meet suppliers personally here, that I speak to often on the phone, but who I haven’t seen for a long time due to COVID.
Our authority is often represented by many members of the team here, because the trade show is a good source of inspiration for us. We discovered many exciting product novelties straight off, including unusual items such as a to-go cup made from sunflower seeds, for example. We concentrate on sustainable items and are delighted that among others one of the sell-by date campaigns promoted by our federal ministry is on display here.
We were very much looking forward to attending a trade show again and asked ourselves in advance what the current situation is like: Whether people were daring to visit trade fairs again or whether fewer people would attend. And this has actually been confirmed: There are much less visitors than in the past years – in terms of both visitors and exhibitors. Several big names are missing. Nevertheless, we did discover some new exhibitors, especially from the sustainability sector. We are delighted to receive a Promotional Gift Award every year. We attend the HAPTICA® live so regularly for that reason alone. We are familiar with the trade show and were thus looking forward to spending a nice and successful day in Bonn again. And that’s exactly what we did. It would have been even nicer if it had been possible to present the prize to the winners personally in the scope of an award-giving ceremony
This is our first time at the HAPTICA® live and we are impressed with the selection and the offer, particularly with regards to sustainable promotional products. We listened to two lectures as well, which provided a great deal of input. It is interesting to see other companies’ approach to marketing. Moreover, the lectures make the day at the show even more diversified. The event motivates, inspires and helps inform the participants about the current marketing trends.
