With 145 exhibitors and 5,552 visitors, trade fair ICT & Logistiek can speak of a record edition. Never before has there been so much interest in ICT solutions in logistics at the Jaarbeurs. "The pressure from the market makes companies think very concretely about new processes and applications," concludes Martijn de Weerd, brand manager at Jaarbeurs.
The fair not only attracted large numbers, but also experienced qualitative growth, says the fair manager. Visitors came to ICT & Logistiek in recent days with a clear purpose. De Weerd: "Visitors had very concrete issues, according to exhibitors' reactions. The suppliers were therefore able to generate plenty of leads. Numerous appointments were made for after the fair."
The content programme also attracted attention. Visitors could visit eight theatres over the past two days, with a total of 64 hours of knowledge transfer. KennisDC Logistiek, iSHARE and several exhibitors organised sessions covering a wide range of topics: from Talent Innovation Pooling to artificial intelligence. TLN and AIM organised tours, where visitors were informed about the different solutions in the market within an hour. "The focus of visitors was again reflected in the knowledge sessions and tours, where afterwards there were plenty of questions about the problems they were struggling with in their organisations," the exhibition manager continued.
There was remarkable interest in the sessions on blockchain. De Weerd: "There is a lot going on about blockchain, but there is also still a lot unclear. The elusiveness of the topic is at the same time its attraction. Companies want to know whether they should do something with it now. And if so, what exactly? There is a big question mark hanging over it."
New this year was the Supply Chain Arena, a hotspot for supply chain management and S&OP. Workshops, master classes and speed consultations were offered here, organised by BLMC, Solventure and Supply Chain Media. "Companies are increasingly looking for an integrated approach. Then you quickly end up with supply chain management. The interest in this topic was reflected in the workshops and master classes: they were packed. The speed consultations, ten-minute one-to-one conversations with a supply chain professional, took some getting used to at first. But in the end, that too went down well."
Next year, ICT & Logistiek will again take place simultaneously with Logistica from 5 to 7 November 2019. According to De Weerd, two thirds of the exhibitors have already signed up again for the next edition. "That just goes to show that the formula for an annual ICT & Logistica trade fair is right, in this technology-driven market."
