You have already been operating on the market for 33 years – please give us a short summary of the recent years. How has the company’s approach to the customer changed, what changes have taken place in the customers themselves and their expectations?
Time passes quickly, it was not long ago that we spoke about having our 30th anniversary behind, and now, 33 years have passed – as this is how long we have been functioning in the fair industry. I will remind you that our company was established in 1990. Our current business profile includes organizing the participation of Polish companies in international fairs and exhibitions abroad, as well as the organization and service of conferences, meetings, conventions for presentation purposes. For more than 18 years, we have also been involved in the arrangement of exhibition stands, offering our exhibitors standard or custom arrangements in accordance with designs prepared by our designers or with a given exhibitor’s design. For many years, we have offered our exhibitors a full package of services from which, obviously, the exhibitor is free to choose. The package includes services related to rental of exhibition space, handling matters connected with the media or company accreditation, entry in the catalogue, as well as all sorts of matters related to entry permits, parking cards or transport of exhibits to the fair and delivery thereof to the stand. These are our services in a nutshell. The question was whether anything has changed in our operations over the recent years. Many new, very prestigious fair events have surely appeared, as shown by our fair schedules. Customers themselves decide to choose foreign fairs depending on their search for new markets – often in very remote regions of the world.
Since the beginning of our company, customer satisfaction has been our creed. The professionalism of customer service in our company is high. We have helped companies to choose their participation in industry fairs, we are at the customers’ disposal, we treat them seriously, we think ahead and help our customers, and nothing in this area has changed over the years.
Customers, on the other hand, have growing requirements and expectations, which only provides us with more possibilities to show our professionalism.
How does the market of the exhibition industry look like after the pandemic and what is the international situation in this regard?
I think we all wish to forget the pandemic and may it never happen again. To the exhibition industry, it was a blow, since all fairs were closed, domestic and international alike. We found it hard to survive those 18 months. Many of our colleagues closed their companies, unable to stay afloat and having no alternatives to keep their employees hired. I can boldly say we have managed not to fire anyone and keep the same number of personnel as we had had before the pandemic. It was a very severe period for the Management Board. We all waited for the so-called unfreezing of the industry so we could get back to work. And finally, it happened. Our exhibitors waited as well. For them, that break was even more painful, as they could not meet their customers and consumers. Just like us, they waited for the fairs to unfreeze. Consequently, the participation in fairs saw an increased number of exhibitors, not just in Poland but worldwide. Fairs did not unfreeze at the same time but in turn, on different dates. Now we can only say most of our fairs are sold out, often a year in advance.
Can online events substitute to some extent meetings at a stand?
No, definitely not. Meeting a contractor face-to-face is a different thing than handling affairs by email. When we asked the exhibitors for their opinions, all of them said that just a meeting at a stand at a fair, where you can see the goods and take a closer look at them, ask any necessary questions about the product and discuss the price, gives a good effect. Many exhibitors also said that meetings establish cooperation and awareness. Knowing who you will be speaking with in the future brings a much better effect for placing of orders and for new contracts.
For producers, participation in fairs is a profitable investment. What can you do to increase interest in your stand and company at a fair?
I suggest you visit our website to see how we build stands and how companies present themselves at fairs today. Companies which are just beginning their participation tend to show their products at stands with standard arrangements. The ones that have already taken part in many fairs enrich their stands with custom arrangements, often expanding the area as well. It is largely up to exhibitors how their fair stand look like. Of course, we provide advice, and we design, after receiving introductory guidance concerning the stand’s colour scheme and the product itself. Currently, the simpler the stand, the smarter it is, and it makes the goods play a key role. We try to advise the exhibitor on which materials or lighting to use to exhibit the goods in the best way possible. We also ensure the exhibitor gets his products at the stand in time so as to unpack and arrange them on arrangement day – a day before the official opening of a fair.
Please remind our readers what fair events are ahead, what is planned for this year and which events will be particularly important to Polish companies this year.
Speaking of food industry fairs, the largest event this year will be the ANUGA fair which will take place in Cologne between 7 and 11 October. It is one of the largest food industry fairs in Europe, attended by companies from all around the world. We will service several dozen Polish enterprises there. We are very curious about how companies from Poland will look like against global ones. Furthermore, we will also have the FINEFOOD fair in Australia and ISM Middle East in Dubai this year. We invite you to participate. As for the next year, one cannot forget the ISM confectionery fair in Cologne or IFE in London, Sial in Paris, and PLMA in Amsterdam. Please visit our website where we show our entire schedule of fairs we will be able to organize for you.
Can we ask you for some universal advice to small and medium Polish companies that wish to stand out internationally?
Certainly. First of all, choose the fair in which the company wants to exhibit, upon previous contact with our employees who will advise you which fair will suit your products best. Secondly, develop a detailed strategy of procedure regarding the fair. Prepare a good stand design to enable good and efficient presentation of the product. Prepare a catalogue of products the company is to sell on the given market. Select an appropriate entry about your company for the fair catalogue – our employees will be helpful here as well. Ensure the appropriate layout of the goods at the stand’s exhibition. We will advise you how the stand should look like to attract the customer’s eye so he can freely enter the stand and ask about anything.
Why is Maxpol worth choosing as your partner and fair organizer?
I would be immodest if I said we are one of the best companies involved in the organization of international fairs. An exhibitor served by us can forget about the hardships of handling affairs connected with his participation in the fair. The professionalism of customer service at our company is high. We help companies choose their participation in industry fairs, we are at the customers’ disposal, we treat them seriously, we think ahead, we solve and prevent problems on an ongoing basis, we provide comprehensive customer service. We are a company appreciated by the Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry of which we are a member. Our operation has been positively rated and rewarded with a prestigious title ‘Leader of Exhibition Services’. We also hold a recommendation of the Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry.
Most of all, customer satisfaction has been our creed since the inception of our company, which is noticeable because the number of our exhibitors is growing year by year and the group of regular customers is broadening. We look into the future with optimism.
Thank you
Monika Książek
Time passes quickly, it was not long ago that we spoke about having our 30th anniversary behind, and now, 33 years have passed – as this is how long we have been functioning in the fair industry. I will remind you that our company was established in 1990. Our current business profile includes organizing the participation of Polish companies in international fairs and exhibitions abroad, as well as the organization and service of conferences, meetings, conventions for presentation purposes. For more than 18 years, we have also been involved in the arrangement of exhibition stands, offering our exhibitors standard or custom arrangements in accordance with designs prepared by our designers or with a given exhibitor’s design. For many years, we have offered our exhibitors a full package of services from which, obviously, the exhibitor is free to choose. The package includes services related to rental of exhibition space, handling matters connected with the media or company accreditation, entry in the catalogue, as well as all sorts of matters related to entry permits, parking cards or transport of exhibits to the fair and delivery thereof to the stand. These are our services in a nutshell. The question was whether anything has changed in our operations over the recent years. Many new, very prestigious fair events have surely appeared, as shown by our fair schedules. Customers themselves decide to choose foreign fairs depending on their search for new markets – often in very remote regions of the world.
Since the beginning of our company, customer satisfaction has been our creed. The professionalism of customer service in our company is high. We have helped companies to choose their participation in industry fairs, we are at the customers’ disposal, we treat them seriously, we think ahead and help our customers, and nothing in this area has changed over the years.
Customers, on the other hand, have growing requirements and expectations, which only provides us with more possibilities to show our professionalism.
How does the market of the exhibition industry look like after the pandemic and what is the international situation in this regard?
I think we all wish to forget the pandemic and may it never happen again. To the exhibition industry, it was a blow, since all fairs were closed, domestic and international alike. We found it hard to survive those 18 months. Many of our colleagues closed their companies, unable to stay afloat and having no alternatives to keep their employees hired. I can boldly say we have managed not to fire anyone and keep the same number of personnel as we had had before the pandemic. It was a very severe period for the Management Board. We all waited for the so-called unfreezing of the industry so we could get back to work. And finally, it happened. Our exhibitors waited as well. For them, that break was even more painful, as they could not meet their customers and consumers. Just like us, they waited for the fairs to unfreeze. Consequently, the participation in fairs saw an increased number of exhibitors, not just in Poland but worldwide. Fairs did not unfreeze at the same time but in turn, on different dates. Now we can only say most of our fairs are sold out, often a year in advance.
Can online events substitute to some extent meetings at a stand?
No, definitely not. Meeting a contractor face-to-face is a different thing than handling affairs by email. When we asked the exhibitors for their opinions, all of them said that just a meeting at a stand at a fair, where you can see the goods and take a closer look at them, ask any necessary questions about the product and discuss the price, gives a good effect. Many exhibitors also said that meetings establish cooperation and awareness. Knowing who you will be speaking with in the future brings a much better effect for placing of orders and for new contracts.
For producers, participation in fairs is a profitable investment. What can you do to increase interest in your stand and company at a fair?
I suggest you visit our website to see how we build stands and how companies present themselves at fairs today. Companies which are just beginning their participation tend to show their products at stands with standard arrangements. The ones that have already taken part in many fairs enrich their stands with custom arrangements, often expanding the area as well. It is largely up to exhibitors how their fair stand look like. Of course, we provide advice, and we design, after receiving introductory guidance concerning the stand’s colour scheme and the product itself. Currently, the simpler the stand, the smarter it is, and it makes the goods play a key role. We try to advise the exhibitor on which materials or lighting to use to exhibit the goods in the best way possible. We also ensure the exhibitor gets his products at the stand in time so as to unpack and arrange them on arrangement day – a day before the official opening of a fair.
Please remind our readers what fair events are ahead, what is planned for this year and which events will be particularly important to Polish companies this year.
Speaking of food industry fairs, the largest event this year will be the ANUGA fair which will take place in Cologne between 7 and 11 October. It is one of the largest food industry fairs in Europe, attended by companies from all around the world. We will service several dozen Polish enterprises there. We are very curious about how companies from Poland will look like against global ones. Furthermore, we will also have the FINEFOOD fair in Australia and ISM Middle East in Dubai this year. We invite you to participate. As for the next year, one cannot forget the ISM confectionery fair in Cologne or IFE in London, Sial in Paris, and PLMA in Amsterdam. Please visit our website where we show our entire schedule of fairs we will be able to organize for you.
Can we ask you for some universal advice to small and medium Polish companies that wish to stand out internationally?
Certainly. First of all, choose the fair in which the company wants to exhibit, upon previous contact with our employees who will advise you which fair will suit your products best. Secondly, develop a detailed strategy of procedure regarding the fair. Prepare a good stand design to enable good and efficient presentation of the product. Prepare a catalogue of products the company is to sell on the given market. Select an appropriate entry about your company for the fair catalogue – our employees will be helpful here as well. Ensure the appropriate layout of the goods at the stand’s exhibition. We will advise you how the stand should look like to attract the customer’s eye so he can freely enter the stand and ask about anything.
Why is Maxpol worth choosing as your partner and fair organizer?
I would be immodest if I said we are one of the best companies involved in the organization of international fairs. An exhibitor served by us can forget about the hardships of handling affairs connected with his participation in the fair. The professionalism of customer service at our company is high. We help companies choose their participation in industry fairs, we are at the customers’ disposal, we treat them seriously, we think ahead, we solve and prevent problems on an ongoing basis, we provide comprehensive customer service. We are a company appreciated by the Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry of which we are a member. Our operation has been positively rated and rewarded with a prestigious title ‘Leader of Exhibition Services’. We also hold a recommendation of the Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry.
Most of all, customer satisfaction has been our creed since the inception of our company, which is noticeable because the number of our exhibitors is growing year by year and the group of regular customers is broadening. We look into the future with optimism.
Thank you
Monika Książek
