April 2009
Successful start for BLECH Russia in St. Petersburg
The first BLECH Russia exhibition, which took place from 10 – 13 March 2009 at the Lenexpo exhibition centre in St. Petersburg, was a thorough success. With 170 exhibitors from some 20 countries the trade exhibition focussing on sheet metal working technology was fully booked. The show attracted some 3,500 visitors, mainly from Russia.
The exhibition analysis showed that 95% of all visitors came from Russia, with the other 5% coming from different countries in the CIS, Europe and Asia. The Russian visitors were predominantly from the St. Petersburg region and North Western Russia (80%), 15% came from the Moscow region and 5% from the rest of Russia.
In terms of the sectors to which the visitors belonged, key industry sectors included iron and steel production (17%), electrical engineering (16%), precision engineering/optics (11%), heating/ventilation/air conditioning (10%) and rolling mills (10%). Visitors at BLECH Russia were sheet metal working specialists at all levels, with a majority having managerial responsibility or being head of department. A large majority of the visitors praised the show as highly professional and noted the outstanding quality of the products and services on display.
Industry leaders as well as many small and medium-sized companies predominantly from Germany, Italy and other western European countries made use of this new industry event to gain valuable contacts and develop their business relations in Russia. Although the current global financial crisis has had a considerable impact on the Russian economy, a majority of the exhibiting companies at the show assessed the market for sheet metal working in Russia as very positive for the coming two years.
The organisers of BLECH Russia, Restec Brooks, a joint venture between Mack Brooks Exhibitions Ltd and its Russian partner organisation Restec Exhibition Company, were highly satisfied with the outcome of this launch event. “It was obvious at this trade show that even in challenging times like these the Russian market for sheet metal working holds a high potential for growth,” says Susanne Rauberger, Event Director BLECH Russia, “ We are therefore confident that we will be able to further develop and expand this exhibition in the future“. The next BLECH Russia is planned for spring 2011 in St. Petersburg.
BLECH Russia 2009 was the first event in a series of dedicated sheet metal working exhibitions in growth markets taking place this year. BLECH Polska will be held in Kielce, Poland from 27-29 October 2009 and BLECH India will take place in Mumbai from 18-20 November 2009. Further information on the BLECHevents can be found at www.blechevents.com
Issued by: Susanne Neuner, PR Director
Mack Brooks Exhibitions Ltd
Romeland House, Romeland Hill, St Albans, Herts AL3 4ET, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1727 814400, Fax: +44 (0)1727 814401
Email: press@mackbrooks.co.uk