Newsline - September 2000

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Iranconmin 12-16 June 2000 Tehran, Iran

As many mines have been closed for long periods, the infrastructure is in need of radical updating. In addition to the much needed road and rail repairs and improvements the Government has a five year plan to vastly increase the social housing stock and create new cities in an effort to relieve the overcrowding in Tehran.

As soon as ECGD is in place Iran seems likely to become an attractive marketplace for British companies. It can only be a matter of time before the USA lifts its embargo on the export of goods to Iran - so now is the time for British companies to establish their credentials.

Companies interested in selling to Iran are recommended to make a personal visit and establish contacts with existing distributors. The Iranians are very hospitable and set great store on personal contact and relationships.

Intermat 16-21 May 2000 Paris, France

Intermat 2000 saw the highest number of British companies, at a French construction exhibition, to receive SESA grant. 53 British companies received funding of up to £2,300 - eight exhibited for the first time with SESA support. A further 16 firms took advantage of the display package featured on the FMCEC's Information Centre. Enquiries and leads were taken at the Information Centre and FMCEC Product Guides, the 2000 edition of the Business Tracker CD-ROM and company literature were distributed to visitors.

The FMCEC Information Centre featured an Intemet Cafe. This gave British exhibitors theopportunity of receiving and sending E-mails and demonstrating their company Web Site to customers without going to the considerable expense of hiring an ISDN line on their own stand. A meeting room and lounge were available for the use of British exhibitors, serving hot and cold drinks, wine and beer.

Overall exhibitor satisfaction levels were reasonably high. The Intermat organisers report that a total of 1,350 exhibitors from 33 countries took part. There were over 208,000 visitors, 45% of them coming from outside France. The exhibition seemed a little quieter than in previous years in the inside halls. The outside areas suffered from very poor signage, especially in the crushing and screening area. Numerous complaints to the organisers resulted in improved signage being erected, eventually. The weather was very hot for the build up and on the first two days - however rain set in towards the end of the show making visitors somewhat scarce in the outside areas.

FMCEC staff manned the Information Centre and attended meetings at Intermat - and found the show a useful networking opportunity. Interpreter, Ursula Hazard, made sure that language barriers were overcome.

IVT Expo 14-16 June 2000 Hamburg, Germany

Pam Hyde manned the FMCEC Information Stand at IVT Expo 2000. The exhibition - a new industry event - was targeted at an audience of worldwide industrial vehicle manufacturers to provide OEM personnel with an opportunity to view and evaluate the latest products from component manufacturers and suppliers.

The exhibition was held simultaneously with two other shows in the Hamburg International Exhibition and Conference Centre - Engine Expo and Testing Expo, together with a three-day conference programme.

53 UK companies exhibited across the three shows - 25 of these were at IVT Expo. Seven British companies had literature display space on the FMCEC's Information Stand which was visited by the Manager of the Commercial Office of the British Consulate in Hamburg.

IVT Expo was relatively small - most stands being 35mz@. The British were most in evidence, probably because of the popularity of the IVT magazine in the UK. There were relatively few Gerinans but it was thought that the more central location of Stuttgart for the 2001 show will help remedy this.

Exhibitors were component suppliers of an enormous variety: gearboxes, bearings, electronic monitoring instruments, cab seats, to name a few.The show attracted 1,900 visitors from 32 countries and every enquiry was serious. There was the opportunity to discuss matters fully which often led to openings that could not have been explored at a busier exhibition.

The FMCEC believes IVT Expo 2001 will be a successful event for some component suppliers and has applied for SESA funding as a niche event. This fits with the FMCEC's policy in promoting British industry sales overseas.

The next exhibition and technical conference is planned for 19-21 June 2001 at Messe Stuttgart International.

IVT Expo is set to become a key event for the global industrial vehicle industry. The 2000 event provided an outstanding platform from which component manufacturers and suppliers met with key OEM specifiers and purchasers. This was the first exhibition dedicated to the needs of OEM design, engineering and purchasing managers and their teams but with participation from 32 countries, this is an international event covering all major industrialised countries.