“I just love trade fairs”: John Herbert talks with Gerald Böse

The fact that the international home improvement and gardening industry hopes to be able to visit trade fairs again next year was made clear once again by Edra general secretary John Herbert at the Global DIY-Network. In a conversation with Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse, he emphasised how important trade fairs are for the industry: "a paradise for buyers" and "most important" for trading companies. "I just love trade fairs," he said and made it clear that he is also speaking for the industry. At the same time, he also expressed his incomprehension for the fact that also major companies have withdrawn from trade fairs.
His dialogue partner, Gerald Böse, took up this point: it's not about having the biggest booth, not even for market leaders. "It's not about size," he said. On the contrary, trade fairs today fulfil more functions than just the presentation of products. "It's a relation-building event, a community-building event," he said. "We are human beings, and we are social beings. We want to feel the personal relationship, also in business."
Böse also used the opportunity to explain the high safety standards for physical trade fairs. For example, the vaccination or test status of visitors can be incorporated into tickets in order to speed up checks during admission.