Scoop for Maastricht: the international trade fair for the infrastructure sector is coming to the MECC

There is a need for an all-embracing trade fair for ground, road and hydraulic engineering, building materials, civil engineering and infrastructure, but one that is held centrally in the Benelux, with an international character, is the opinion of fair organizer Exhibitions Rotterdam International BV. 

Jan G. de Klerk, director at Exhibitions Rotterdam, explains, "Of course there are other trade fairs in the Netherlands that partly cover the above sectors. However, we have found that companies working in these sectors have been working Euroregionally for some time and do not care about national borders. There are already partnerships between parties in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany that justify a trade fair that is accessible to all. However, we want to take an even broader view of the fair and make it a European, international fair. We are organizing this fair for the very first time from April 21 to 23, 2020, at a location that is beautifully central in the Benelux, almost at the triple-border point: the MECC in Maastricht."

Accessibility prevails
INFRA-EXPO 2020 has accessibility as a common thread running through the event. The organization ensures that a large proportion of owners, board members, management members and other decision-makers of medium and large companies from the European infrastructure sector will be invited. "For entrepreneurs, organizations and governments doing business nationally and/or at the European level in the infrastructure sector, this offers excellent opportunities to present themselves to a high-quality audience," De Klerk outlines. "Not only the geographical accessibility is top notch because of the location, but also the business and above all human accessibility is enormous. In our role as seasoned fair organizer, we are happy to offer this added value to both exhibitor and visitor."

Sharing knowledge and taking orders
The trade fair is all about sharing knowledge, across the country's borders. For De Klerk, taking orders is a logical consequence of the fact that INFRA-EXPO is a knowledge platform of the highest order: "By making each other smarter, well-considered choices can be made. The trade fair not only informs, but immediately offers every opportunity to present problems, hear solutions and make direct choices. That generates orders, count on it."

Connecting and innovating
With the ambitious goals Exhibitions Rotterdam has with INFRA-EXPO, it is to be expected that this trade fair will become one of the most successful fairs in the European sector. "We connect parties with each other, which will not only result in nice contracts being awarded back and forth, but which will above all create (European) collaborations, which will provide a piece of much-needed innovation," said De Klerk.

A lot of work is already being done to publicize the trade show. Exhibitions Rotterdam has enlisted the services of the specialist journal Grond- Weg- en Waterbouw as a media partner. Furthermore, the organization works closely with a Committee of Recommendation, which includes prominent and lauded persons from the infrastructure sector. They promote the trade fair, contribute ideas, come up with innovations and have set themselves the goal of raising INFRA-EXPO to the very highest level. De Klerk: "In this way, INFRA-EXPO remains relevant to the industries the event focuses on."

Action-packed scholarship program
The organization has a Speakers Corner of 120 m² provided on the exhibition floor. Lectures, workshops, demonstrations and rounds of discussions will take place there. "To make it more exciting, a mystery guest has been invited, who will give a lecture," says De Klerk. Based on the many positive reactions, both nationally and internationally, exhibitor registration has now begun. Allocation of booth space will take place in order of registration. INFRA-EXPO 2020 will be held in the Zuid Hall of the MECC in Maastricht, with an area of 10,000 m². The minimum space for a booth is 9 m².