Does the world need hybrid trade fairs?
12/01/2018
In Germany, the Cebit computer fair is being laid to rest, in Switzerland the popular Züspa and Muba, consumer fairs that offered everything from kitchen utensils to lampshades. Trade fairs are disappearing everywhere, it seems, except in the classic car sector, where new ones are added every year.
Recently, however, hybrid trade fairs, i.e. trade fairs that bring together different interests and suppliers, are supposed to bring success. The latest example is the IAA, the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, which wants to integrate a classic car hall with VDA and Motorworld.
Are prospective new car buyers also classic car buyers? Is the exhibition space, which is not exactly cheap, worthwhile over a period of almost two weeks for suppliers of classic cars who are not primarily interested in marketing but in selling their cars?
And is the salvation really in combining different themes in order to attract large numbers of visitors? In an extreme case, you could combine a financial product fair with a classic car fair in the hope of getting bankers interested in both topics.
It remains to be seen whether this will work out for everyone involved in the future - it remains exciting!
