Long experience in the trade fair business: Elke Harreiß has been manager for FENSTERBAU FRONTALE since 2000.
It was recently announced that FENSTERBAU FRONTALE is to be postponed until the summer. Now Elke Harreiß, FRONTALE manager exclusively talked to us about the lates developments concerning the "Summer Edition".
GW News - The FENSTERBAU FRONTALE has now been postponed to the summer - how clear was the exhibitors' vote for the date in July?
Elke Harreiß - Towards the end of the year, we received an increasing number of enquiries from exhibitors who wanted a new date for FENSTERBAU FRONTALE 2022. The course of the Covid pandemic and the postponements of other industry events in the first quarter of 2022 caused uncertainty. The rescheduling of FENSTERBAU FRONTALE and HOLZ-HANDWERK was ultimately necessary, particularly due to the extremely critical pandemic situation, and was carried out in close coordination with the exhibitors in order to create planning security for all involved. In personal discussions, different reasons were given for the postponement from the respective company's perspective. Those who were in favour of it focused on the pandemic and the currently growing uncertainties associated with it with a view to March. For those who were initially sceptical about the July date, internal company reasons - including product availability or overlapping dates - as well as holiday periods in some cases played a role. What they all had in common, however, was the great need for their industry get-together FENSTERBAU FRONTALE and HOLZ-HANDWERK 2022 and the resulting commitment. We are very grateful for this!
GW News - What would have been the alternative? Another complete cancellation?
Harreiß - In the many discussions we have had in the last few weeks it has once again become clear: the industry still wants a personal meeting place in 2022, where networking and business can take place with a good feeling. For this purpose, we are relying on a hygiene and access concept already successfully implemented at the Nuremberg exhibition venue, which combines the needs of our customers for personal exchange on the one hand and security on the other in the best possible way. To meet this need, by postponing FENSTERBAU FRONTALE we are paving the way for coming together again in person as an industry in 2022 after a break of four years due to the pandemic.
We are very pleased that companies who had already cancelled their participation in March have registered again to exhibit at FENSTERBAU FRONTALE from 12 - 15 July 2022.
NürnbergMesse GmbH
GW News - Are there already companies that had cancelled before the decision was made and have now registered again?
Harreiß - Yes, we are very pleased that companies who had already cancelled their participation in FENSTERBAU FRONTALE in March have registered again to exhibit at FENSTERBAU FRONTALE from 12 - 15 July 2022. After the rescheduling, exhibitors who were uncertain about participating in March have the opportunity to reassess. The FENSTERBAU FRONTALE team will be happy to discuss and advise on participation possibilities.
GW News - On the one hand, a trade fair in the summer has its charms, but on the other hand, it is to be feared that the number of visitors will suffer because many market participants have planned holidays for this period or simply have a lot to do. What are your expectations for exhibitor and visitor numbers?
Harreiß - It goes without saying that the postponement of an event is associated with a lot of testing, not only for us at the Nuremberg exhibition venue, but also on the part of all those involved. By rescheduling early, we are setting the appropriate course. With the date in July, we also have the expectation that the situation will become more and more stable by the summer and that participation will be possible for our target groups. We are convinced that our unique "Summer Edition" can convince even those who voted in our survey to keep the March date. After all, we have all had to learn one thing over the last two years: 'normal' has taken on a whole new definition and we have all had to and must continue to act flexibly.
The feedback from participants at the events held at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg since autumn 2021 has been extremely positive and underlines that the exhibition experience can succeed despite pandemic-related peculiarities. Visitors for whom participation in the fair is of central importance in a business context actually come, and accordingly the quality of the stand discussions and business contacts on the part of the exhibitors was rated as very good. We are therefore now looking forward to our unique summer edition of FENSTERBAU FRONTALE and HOLZ-HANDWERK and seeing the industry again from 12 - 15 July 2022!
GW News - Thank you for your feedback, we wish you every success with the "Summer Edition" of FRONTALE!
The questions were asked by Daniel Mund, editor-in-chief of GLASWELT magazine.
