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Superb début delivered burgeoning business and numerous networking contacts

Superb début delivered burgeoning business and numerous networking contacts

STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL got off to a brilliant start as its maiden event showcased a comprehensive line-up of market leaders and numerous top European exhibitors in the tent and marquee sector. The new internationally oriented business platform for temporary building structures, industrial & storage tents and event marquees – held between 8 and 10 November – also featured a large number of equipment specialists and service providers.

STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL, Europe’s new leading trade show for the tent and marquee industry, got off to a flying start with a full-breadth exhibition of products and services. The first international business and information platform for the tent and marquee industry showed new products and innovative solutions – and also had some world firsts up its sleeve. A total of 60 exhibitors came to the first show, including global players such as RÖDER Zelt und Veranstaltungsservice, HTS TentiQ, HR-Structures, Oostdam Flexzelt International, Eurostretchtents Deutschland, Skyliner and Stadur Productions GmbH. In addition to marquees and tentage, portable buildings and roofing, the 1,800 participants – more than a third of whom had travelled in from other European countries – were also able to discover more on a wide range of design variants and equipment options. 

“We’ve been delighted by the successful launch and the highly favourable responses to STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL – a forward-looking event that  delivered a sophisticated line-up of products on an international exhibitor level for both tent hire businesses and industrial customers across all sectors, including automotive manufacturers, mechanical engineering businesses and even retail chains ,” said Sabine Loos, chief show organiser and Managing Director of Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe which owns and operates the Messe Dortmund venue: “Especially in the recent past, the importance of marquees and tentage has grown enormously, enabling logistics companies to boost storage capacity, and offering mobile accommodation for dealing with severe weather disasters and the refugee situation. The newly initiated STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL show saw Messe Dortmund bring together all the aspects of European marquees and tentage in one of Germany’s foremost logistics locations.” She continued: “The new flagship show, which is to be held once per year, is a perfect opportunity to experience the tent and marquee sector in its entirety, to look deep into what the international market has to offer, to discover innovations and to keep up with all the latest developments.”

Europe-wide range of products and services 
The mix of exhibitors – featuring market leaders from Germany and other big-name exhibitors from across Europe – gave visitors an up-to-the-minute overview of the industry and presented trends and innovations, some of which were unveiled to the trade public for the first time worldwide. Exhibitors from across Germany and abroad reserved special praise for the quality of visitors and the in-depth discussions they were able to conduct. This was also underlined by Juan Poller (SKP GmbH): “The show went really well for us. We were well attended throughout and got a lot of favourable responses from visitors. There were very different wishes depending on the customer, with the effect that there was customer demand for our entire range of products.” 

International trade audience  
The broad spectrum of the new STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL show attracted trade visitors not just from Germany, but also brought in large numbers of international visitors from the Benelux countries, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain – to name but some – to gather information, engage and make new contacts. STRUCTURES also delivered in terms of visitor composition: indeed, around 87% of visitors were entrepreneurs or co-proprietors, managing directors, board members, branch or plant managers or department heads – and thus involved in procurement decisions taken within their businesses. Almost 70% of participants said they had already concluded business deals during the show or were going to do so directly afterwards. 

Conceptual partnership 
The conceptual partner to STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL is leading trade journal zeltundco which organised a wide-ranging supporting programme featuring industry experts and specialists on current challenges facing the tent and marquee sector and covering energy issues, new designs and accessories as well as digitalisation and personnel-related topics. The editor-in-chief of zeltundco, Peter Stumpf, was also delighted with the successful début: “The very first STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL show has confirmed impressively just how much a trade show such as this – involving high levels of international participation – has been lacking on the market thus far. By featuring a large number of global players and a broad-based mix of exhibitors, the new show served up an exciting cross-section of the marquee and tentage market and has great potential to keep on growing.”

Indeed, the date for the next STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL has already been agreed, with the second show due to be held between 14 and 16 November 2023 – naturally at Messe Dortmund again.

All important up-to-the-minute information, updates and developments concerning the show can be found at any time on the show’s website, at LinkedIn or directly by Newsletter.

STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL – what exhibitors had to say:

Philipp von Hülsen, Managing Director & CFO of RÖDER Zelt- und Servicesysteme GmbH: 
“Above all, the classes of potential customer were very high-quality. This was important to us because at STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL we were deliberately focusing on acquiring new customers. Also, the show is very well suited for presenting our designs, such as our ECO-Line. Therefore, in our opinion, the show is perfectly suited for maintaining existing contacts and for making new ones!”

Rüdiger Loos, Managing Director of EUROSTRETCHTENTS DEUTSCHLAND GmbH:
“We were pleasantly surprised by the number of visitors to the show. That said, quality is just as important as quantity – and STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL definitely delivered in this respect too! We’re especially pleased to see so many international customers coming to Dortmund. As we liked the organisation and Dortmund as a location, we’ll gladly be back!”

Jim Oostdam, Operational Manager & Co-Owner of Oostdam Flextent International:
“We’re encountering an attractive target audience at STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL. We’re looking to expand and grow our market, which is why this international environment is exciting for us. This event offers us the opportunity to win new customers and to maintain our engagement with the industry.” 

Michael Gertzmann, Key Account Manager at Dantherm GmbH:
“STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL has exceeded our expectations. There are numerous opportunities for us to acquire new customers here, also from an international audience. We’ll take away good memories of the exhibition centre and of Dortmund itself.”

Piotr Siwek, Export Manager at POL-PLAN sp.j.: 
“It was worth us travelling from Poland for this show. It’s a good size of show – ideal for holding interesting discussions and for winning new customers. Like us, exhibitors and customers have travelled from several European countries, so the environment is very international. We can well imagine coming back next year.”

Marc Bartschat, Sales Team Leader at FloorStak:
“Because we supply a product that has to be explained to the customer, we rely heavily on trade shows. At STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL we encountered a well-prepared target audience that came to our stand with great interest. We found it remarkable to see how many international visitors were there. We also liked the open communication in the run-up to the show, which is why we can see ourselves taking part again next year.” 

Christian Schenk, Managing Director of Erdnagelshop Schenk:
“We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the concentration of expertise that trade visitors have brought to this show. We visit many trade shows and love talking with an interested audience – like that at STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL. As a result, we’ve been able to meet nearly every one of the objectives we’d set ourselves for this show. We can also see ourselves coming back to a future STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL.”

Justine Kuhn, Executive Manager at Crossover Zelte Deutschland & Planen WaschSalon:
“The STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL début went even better than expected for us! We were pleased with the number of visitors, many of whom came by our stand. As a result, STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL succeeded in delivering everything we expect of a trade show. We were able to network and also make new contacts, new leads and new customers. The personal, pleasant contact with the Messe Dortmund organisation team should also be emphasised – something you rarely see! We’d be delighted to come back next year.”  

Janik Hesse, Retail Sales Consultant at REMKO GmbH & Co KG:
“Taking part in STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL is important if one is to stay on the ball in the industry. We’ve also been able to engage in some good conversations here. In any case, we will also remember the good organisation by Messe Dortmund. It was very clean, there was enough space, and noise levels were very pleasant.”

Henning Müller, Industry & Local Government Sales at FAGSI Vertriebs- und Vermietungs-GmbH:
“Our temporary structures are a product on the outer edges of what STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL is about, but we were nevertheless treated to some interesting discussions, especially on Day 2. We hope these will lead to orders and long-term contacts.”

Manuel Simon, Managing Director of IGEL GmbH:
“From the very first day, we had high numbers of visitors flocking to our stand, resulting in a lot of good conversations. We also brought new products to STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL, presenting them here for the first time. The personal, family-like atmosphere at the show was ideally suited for familiarising our customers with the new products. We were also pleased to be able to contribute to part of the talks programme. We also noticed how professional the technical team was. The same goes for reception staff and the security people. So, overall, the show was an exciting début that was, for the most part, superbly organised and a pleasure for all who were there!”

Thomas Böpple, Senior Executive & Head of Sales at Stadur-Süd GmbH:
“As we’re from a different industry, you could say the show was a bit of an experiment for us, to become better acquainted with the tent and marquee sector. After the event, we have to say it was more than successful! For us, STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL went better than expected. We encountered a set of customers here offering great potential, plus an interesting line-up of international exhibitors. It’s been a great opportunity for us to win our first business in this industry and win new customers and contacts.” 

Juan Poller, Service at SKP GmbH:
“The show went really well for us. We were well attended throughout and got a lot of favourable responses from visitors. There were very different wishes depending on the customer, with the effect that there was customer demand for our entire range of products. As well as these personal wins, the entire show has proven to be a great success. The quality of the show was very high, with a lot of effort put in by the Messe Dortmund team.”

C. Pieter M. Jansen, Director at EuroGate International B.V.:
“We had a high inflow of customers at STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL and were thus also able to proceed to make direct sales, booking orders for ten of our machines, six tanks and around twenty ground anchors. Apart from selling, STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL has also been the ideal platform for acquiring new customers and engaging with existing contacts. As our experience has been very favourable, we would be happy to come back next year!”

Christian Sonntag, Proprietor & Managing Director of TOMOBIL GmbH:
“Our time at STRUCTURES INTERNATIONAL can be summed up in one word: successful! Sales went well for us, and there was a steady stream of visitors to our stand, especially on the first two days of the show. In the long term, this will have a favourable impact on our image in the industry and on orders from our new customer contacts. We’ll be happy to be back for the next show!”