SICAM Trade Show in Pordenone. An appointment you can’t miss

Sicam Fiera di PordenoneIt is the first time that I have written a review on a trade fair. For sure it won’t be the last one, but I would like my first review to be about SICAM in Pordenone; an Italian trade fair for furniture components and accessories whose birth and growth I have watched over the years.

I must state that I’m a faithful participant, which is clearly a conflict of interest, however this won’t prevent me from being objective in the information I give, nor in my personal evaluation. After all it is well known that Gildo Profilati, meaning myself, have taken part in hundreds of exhibitions worldwide and I believe I understand more than a little about this matter.

SICAM is one of the few trade fairs that is truly at the service of the client, by which I mean the exhibitor, and also at the service of the visitor, viewed as an operator in the field and hopefully a potential exhibitor.

I will proceed in order, giving little information and concentrating much more on the particularites that make SICAM a one-of-a-kind exhibition.

Let’s start with the numbers, which are always an important criteria when defining the success of a trade fair:

– More than 500 exhibitors from 30 countries

– About 20,000 visitors from 100 different nations

– Approximately 50% of visitors are Company Owners, Managing Directors and Technical Directors.

I’ll interpret these figures and add my own field of experience to determine some concepts which characterise this thoroughly Italian experience.

– Although founded in Italy, SICAM is an international exhibition which is famous worldwide. It takes place every year in October and opens the subsequent years fair season.

– The exhibitors are always leading companies in their field, and the fair is also open to new companies which are making their way into the market. The presence of Asian companies is limited and there is a thorough selection of new candidates.

– The visitor is a professional who knows what he wants. In other words, there won’t be any pupils on school trips or housewives looking for a handle for their broken pan.

Sicam-carlo-giobbi– SICAM’s format means that the focus is on the products and not on companies who buy space at the exhibition just to put their competitors in the shade, without having valid contents of their own. In other words the size and the furnishings of the stands are standardised so that it is the product which is highlighted, not the space purchased.

– The management – represented by Carlo Giobbi and by his experienced staff – are attentive and helpful. It only takes a few minutes to speak directly to the management and quickly reach an agreement. There are no queues at reception and no hierarchy for booking a stand.

The well-being of the visitors and exhibitors is a crucial point of the fair’s organisation, and not merely an accessory. Both the catering and the restaurants are free, which is particularly appreciated and remembered by visitors. The dry, expensive sandwiches usually sold in other exhibitions are banned at SICAM.

My opinion is certainly generous but it is truthful. Hopefully SICAM will continue with these characteristics in the years ahead and therefore be successful both in the market and among workers in the sector.

Best wishes,

Franco Bandelli