The combined Trä & Teknik/Elmia Timber wood and technology tradeshow – held in Gothenburg for the first time – attracted nearly 260 exhibitors and registered close to 10,000 visitors from 30 countries over the four days.
The organisers say the event laid down a solid foundation on which to build the next show in August 2004. There was a significant increase in the number of foreign visitors, predominantly from Germany, Russia and the Baltic states.
Stenvalls Trä persuaded a Japanese customer to travel to Sweden. Marketing manager Michael Hjorth said: “Without the show and the possibility of visiting several suppliers he would never have travelled this far.”
Fredrik Wennerlund of Wenco Lagerteknik said holding the show in Sweden rather than Germany made it easier to meet potential customers.
Others confirmed they were able to conclude business deals on their stands. Lennart Salinder of Ingvar Persson AB, which produces transport systems for the sawmilling industry, said: “Given the interest we met, the sawmilling industry is on its way up. We got more qualified prospects than we expected.”
His view was endorsed by Calle Andersson, marketing manager at Stenbergs. “If this fair is an indicator of the state of mind of the woodworking industry, then I have a very positive outlook for the near future.”
