With increasingly larger international trade fairs the prominent exhibition companies are working more and more across the border. To be able to meet the high-quality requirements outside of Europe, materials supplier Octanorm OSPI has also developed a globally operating network with only companies that have earned their spurs in stand construction. As Exhibition company Bano from Groningen tackles the business, self-sufficient from the first to construction, furnishing and of course the delivery.
Often heard in the award of construction projects, and certainly also in the exhibition industry: companies that are self-sufficient have an advantage, because they realize the entire process and therefore ultimately deliver better products. Nevertheless, there are circumstances in which disciplines must be outsourced, says Erwin Balkema, owner and director of the Groningen exhibition company Bano. He calls the OSPI network of materials supplier Octanorm an important tool for this. Balkema: “scholarships are becoming bigger, more important and more comprehensive nowadays. We do everything ourselves in Europe, but overseas is not feasible, you depend on third parties. With OSPI you are guaranteed an unequivocal high quality.”
The OSPI network is an initiative of Octanorm, a renewed German manufacturer of aluminum exhibition systems. The goal of her network, set up in 1984, is uniformity in exhibition through quality and a large-scale distribution. Balkema: “OSPI originated from the idea ‘design here, built there.’ In other words, what ‘home’ is designed can be built on location with high-quality Octanorm profiles. That is good for the quality, and Octanorm has proven itself to be a quick and simple assembly system.” Another advantage, according to Balkema, is more environmental technical: thanks to the extensive distribution network, material transport is drastically reduced. “the materials are available worldwide, so people never misunderstand. But the design phase is certainly so important, prior to the process.”
OSPI undeniably offers many benefits for Bano. In addition to reducing transport, promised quality remains guaranteed, as only OSPI-tested subcontractors are used. In addition, stock exchanges are becoming more and more international, so the design here, built their strategy is applied proportionately more frequently. Balkema: “much of our turnover is achieved outside of Europe. Precisely for a total company such as Bano, which not only builds and installs but also designs exhibitions, it is essential that the customer gets exactly what he is represented at the design stage. And the requirements are high today. Trade fairs have no longer been static events but have grown into real experiences.”
And Bano has no reason to complain about these developments. With the last ten years a turnover increase of around 250 percent, the Groningen exhibition builder can count itself among the major players in the industry. With also global companies on the portfolio, such as Hewitt Packard, Canon, Aegon and ING. Certainly, thanks to the total package that Bano offers, says Balkema. “many companies are exhibition builder, AV supplier or do design. We combine these disciplines from one and the same company. I think that sets us apart from others.”
Text: Sjoerd Meuleman – Livecomm.nl