From November 15 to 18 the 41th Edition of Midest will take place at the Parc des Expositions of Paris Nord Villepinte, an industrial subcontracting trade show not to miss for companies working (or wishing to develop their activities) in France, Europe and farther. This important event has not reached its optimum in term of Swiss or Germans visitors and exhibitors. Though its reach is global and its impact undeniable. Meeting with Sylvie Fourn, Director of the show.
You display an enrolment rate which suggests that the 2011 edition will be a success in term of exhibitors. What are the main countries represented? To date, more than 30 countries have already registered and 22 of them in the form of common booth: South Africa, Algeria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Spain, Hungary, India, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia and Turkey. There is a decline of Asian exhibitors offsets by a significant progression of those of Europe, in particular Eastern Europe where the sector is growing.
Paris is a city that has nice assets and which has a strong image worldwide. In your opinion, what are its strengths to host Midest? From a purely practical point of view, Paris is extremely well served: with two airports (including Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle, located a few minutes from the Villepinte exhibition ground and served with free shuttle or metro) and four stations, it is easy to go to Paris wherever you come from, which is crucial for Midest since the show welcomes exhibitors from 40 countries and visitors from 74 nations. In addition, few cities in France have an exhibition ground sufficiently large to accommodate 1,700 exhibitors and 40,000 professionals in four days. And on a more festive point of view, Paris will always be Paris... This city marries business appointments and conviviality with class; this point has always been particularly important both for visitors and exhibitors of Midest
What would you say to German or Swiss potential visitors to help them decide to come discover the world supply in Midest? As you say, Midest offer a global coverage. The visit of the exhibition thus, allows seeing the whole of the world industrial subcontracting in a single move. Whether to meet their current suppliers, to look for new partners, to find answers to technical questions or to observe technological mutations, all solutions are present on Midest. The answer finds several forms: with the exhibitors on their stands of course, but through free lectures, technological poles or on the trophies area. Also given the remoteness and therefore investment necessary to exhibit at Midest, even though many companies are helped financially by national export assistance organizations, the vast majority of foreign exhibitors are serious dynamic and open companies ready to do business with Europe. It is the "top" of the skills of the presented country and this provides relevant guarantees to visitors for a first deal. For Swiss visitors in particular, difficult conditions created by the Swiss Franc/Euro parity make that number of European suppliers located outside their borders become more competitive and interesting. Midest is the place where they may easily and effectively meet them. And because their time is valuable, this year we have implemented special packages departing from Geneva and Zurich to enable them to easily get to the show with their colleagues.
Midest 2011
Parc des Expositions of Paris Nord Villepinte - Hall 6 Tuesday 15 to Friday, November 18, 2011 www.midest.com -[email protected] Tel: + 33 1 47 56 21 66
You will be able to find a more complete interview in our next issue of Eurotec.
Pierre-Yves Kohler PS: By the way, among the Swiss exhibitors, be sure to visit us on our stand (info will follow).
