SIB

May / June 2008

If 2006's SIB exhibition was undercut by rumblings of frustrated discontent, this year's edition seemed a strange mix of resignation and optimism. As ever, it depended on who you talked to.

The malcontents of ’06 had been given a second option this year with the debut of Show-Way in Bergamo. Those remaining manufacturers and distributors who had chosen to exhibit at Rimini had, you sensed, been expecting the worst and so were genuinely surprised by the consistent flow of visitors traipsing the aisles.

That said, there was a definite sense that this was a holding year. Not only had the hall space at Rimini Fiera been drastically reduced, but the absence of the DismaMusica and the MI crowd also meant, in the words of one visitor, “it just didn’t have that SIB buzz.”

Among the more positive exhibitors was Richard Pollak of PR Electronic. “As we didn’t have very high expectations for the fair, due to the confusion around SIB, we were positively surprised,” he said. “In spite of the lower number of exhibitors, we saw a lot of visitors and made good contacts. Unfortunately it seems that the exhibition was more local than in the past.”

So how did the split come about? In essence, SIB was once a must-attend international show, but in recent years its popularity has waned. The APIAS association felt a large contributing factor in this was the exhibition’s location and so formed the splinter-expo Show-Way (the logic being that Bergamo’s proximity to three airports would encourage international visitors to take part).

The counter-argument put forward by SIB’s supporters is that the show’s past success was never the result of its location, rather its content was the main draw. To this end, SIB had expanded its fare of entertainment audio and lighting to include systems integration technology.

The show reported an attendance of 21,682 visitors and seemed confident it had done enough to prove its continued relevance. “We are fully satisfied with this 2008 edition of SIB, for which there were some initial doubts and fears regarding trade members’ attendance, due to the sector’s current division,” said Rimini Fiera General Manager, Piero Venturrelli.

“The comprehensive nature of the industry sectors exhibiting and the good international profile of the product on show at SIB 2008 were particularly appreciated. We’re firmly convinced that the Italian trade deserves a single large international expo which, for the tradition and experience built up over 21 years, we candidate ourselves to hold, and intend working to this end right from the coming months, offering a suitable project to bring together all the markets various sectors and players.”

The trade organisations too seemed optimistic about the turnout. Assunta Fratocchi, Chaiman of TEN and MD of Link, commented, “My overall opinion is very positive, as far as both the quality of the expo and the numerous good contacts reported by the exhibiting companies were concerned. This proves that the directions taken by SIB for the show’s expansion were the right ones. Positive signs were also given by the qualified participation of young trade members – our trade’s new generation - and the high profile seminars that attracted visitors that don’t normally attend the expo part. SIB therefore has great potential and further roads to be explored.”
SIB is set to return in 2010.