Back to European sourcing
The 2021 show became somewhat of a culmination of the pandemic with the insights that it brought and I would probably say it was the best show we’ve experienced in 10 years. The realisation that we don’t necessarily have to buy everything from Southeast Asia in the future made a lot of our customers, who had previously left us in favour of Southeast Asia, want to return to European sourcing. This brings with it a whole host of benefits, such as proximity, shipping times, business culture and stability, into focus. It also reduces the attractiveness of the small price differences in the total cost, which was somewhat of a mantra. We believe that the perception of regional sourcing amongst a wide range of companies is here to stay for a long time to come, at least until it becomes "fashionable" again to focus only on short-term gains.
Elmia Subcontractor 2021 was a really good quality event. We came away with many valuable leads, several of which have now turned into prospects. It was clear that people were longing to meet physically again- says Henrik Berner, Business Development Manager at Lesjöfors.
We have submitted quotations towards several interesting enquiries that we received in connection with the fair. However, in our industry it usually takes some time to close. Our types of products require lengthy discussions with customers so it is quite natural for it to take a little time when we are dealing with technically savvy customers.
Additional investments at the fair 2022
In the Lesjöfors Group, we think that a 3-day fair will be good for several reasons. On the one hand, it is an incentive for people to attend rather than put it off until tomorrow. When there is one less “tomorrow”, it will make them focus more on visiting the fair before it ends. Everything will feel more efficient for visitors and exhibitors during the fair and the planning will be better. We look forward to this change! The Lesjöfors Group will invest even more in getting the most out of the new-look fair. The reason is simple - being seen at Elmia Subcontractor means more valuable meetings and more business!
Trends 2022
One of the clearest trends we see going forward is the digital transformation that is taking place around sales and production processes. The pandemic has really accelerated the digital evolution, but when it comes to meeting new customers, trade shows and face-to-face meetings are unbeatable. The digital transformation in production processes also requires more in-depth sales data to get right into the weeds of the whole delivery cycle- tells Henrik.