Despite the concerns and fears of the eve, the SUN Beach & Outdoor Style 2020 ended with the satisfaction of the organizer and exhibitors. The number of visitors has obviously decreased, even if the official results have not yet been disclosed, but the quality of the professional traders present was very good.
“The exhibitors are all happy and my impression is very positive”, says Barbara Baldacci, Brand Manager of SUN Beach&Outdoor Style, IEG Group. “The camping sector, which worried us a little, has instead worked a lot, perhaps because there were fewer exhibitors than in the past. For sure, it was worth it to be there, and anyone who didn’t come made a huge mistake. The companies present had the opportunity to meet very interested, high quality buyers. And this is what I have always affirmed since the very beginning, saying that we would see fewer visitors, but of higher quality. In the end, the result was above expectations. Even foreign companies that participated for the first time were delighted and confirmed their interest in being there again. And this is a great success for us”.
A tour of the exhibitors confirmed this impression. “We were happy to be there”, says Elisa Beniero, of ECA Technology, which offers through the Syntek brand systems for ventilation, air conditioning and air purification, as well as software solutions that help improve the management of accommodation facilities and customer relations. “The turnout was good, even if the big names in the sector were absent, but we saw many new people. In addition, we are also satisfied with our positioning, closer to TTG and SIA, which are important to us: we have had many visits from hotels that normally did not reach us”.
There are also those who found themselves at the event with a numerically lower competition, such as LegnoMontaggi, a company that operates in the sector of wooden houses and that in the field of open-air accommodation has specialized in the supply of verandas for bungalows and mobile homes. “We are satisfied because fewer people have come, but they are more interested in the purchase,” says Irene D’Attoma, co-owner of the company. “Last year there were all the industry professional operators, even those who were not willing to make a purchase in the short term. This year, however, we had fewer contacts, but more targeted. Being there was very positive”.
“Compared to the initial situation, it went a little better than what we expected”, says Mauro Sabellico, founder of New Marinas, a company that offers accommodation facilities electric columns, lighting systems, fire protection systems, solutions for cleaning the WC cassettes and much more. “We had realistically pessimistic expectations, but all in all in the end we collected some contacts. We cannot say that it went well, but still better than expected”.
Italica, a company specializing in customized bicycles and related accessories, in particular with the PandaByke brand, also believes that the result was still good. “We have been participating in this event for 6 years, and it hasn’t gone badly,” says Walter Turniano. “This year was a somewhat quieter event, but the request for information was good. There may have been no larger campsites, which usually order a few hundred pieces directly. Let’s hope something will move soon”.
Finally, there are the companies that debuted this year at the show. “For us it was the first time and therefore we have no terms of comparison compared to other editions, but we have found a good interest”, says Flavio Fiorazzo, of Witway, which offers automatic dispensers of cold drinks in reusable bottles. “Having a good product obviously helps us, but people came. In terms of number of contacts we are satisfied, now we hope to materialize”. Similar considerations also for Eurona WaveTech, specializing in connectivity and digital services. “This is the first time we have participated, but it went relatively well”, says Andrea Pezzoli. “Compared to the numbers declared last year, I think there have been fewer people this year, but for us it was a very interesting event, where we have had good contacts”.
We also asked an opinion to Antonio Mazzucchelli, director of our magazine Camping Business, that this year was the media partner of SUN Beach & Outdoor Style 2020: “Congratulations to the organizers who have been able to create an event at a good level. And this is also thanks to the involvement of FAITA Federcamping which animated Hall D1 for three days with numerous seminars and conferences, always interesting. The camping industry deserves a specialized quality fair and SUN has shown, also in this annus horribilis, that it truly believes in its formula, giving the sector an important signal of trust. On the other hand, I also understand the reasons of those who preferred not to be present: in these times of pandemic, the protection of the staff and customers health is fundamental, and the way to reach it is part of the individual choices of each company. We participated in the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf and in the Salone del Camper in Parma and even on those occasions some big names in the sector missed the events. The important thing now is to overcome this difficult moment and restart the market all together”.
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