Sigep 2012: Review from Rimini

27-01-2012

The 33^rd Sigep Expo in Rimini was by far the most successful, enjoyable and hard work(!) of the 4 years in which Whitby Morrison have exhibited.  The duration of the event brought about many excitements and challenges, and interest from 56 countries around the globe – 30% more than in 2011!

The whole process in preparing for the event actually begins almost 9 months earlier – when stand space is provisionally agreed.  Over the forthcoming months everything is finalised including layout, furnishings and fittings leaving a couple of months spare for final preparation and organisation.

The direct involvement for the Whitby Morrison team involved the shipping of the Mondial Sprinter Ice Cream Van to Italy ten days prior to the opening.

(We) The Whitby Morrison team then flew out to Rimini on the Thursday, 48 hours ahead of the start of Sigep 2012.  An ordinarily straight forward flight from Stansted to Rimini became quite a test of nerves when the lingering fog around the Italian destination played havoc with the pilots landing plans.  Three aborted attempts (certainly an experience if you’ve not been through such before!) resulted in the plane flying to Ancona further south along the Eastern Italian coast.  An hour-long taxi journey followed and we were back in Rimini as originally planned.  On arrival in Rimini, we immediately headed north to collect the Ice Cream Van from the transport depot on the outskirts of San Marino – around a 20 minute drive or so away.  The Van was then carefully driven in thick fog to the Fiera (exhibition centre) ahead of setting up the stand the next day.

The weather on the Friday was somewhat worse than the Thursday.  When you mention the coastal resort town of Rimini, people immediately think of blue skies, sunshine and warm weather.  January eliminated this vision instantly.  Visibility was reduced to just 50m by the fog and temperatures struggled to climb above zero.

Within the Fiera itself we were ideally positioned adjacent to Carpigiani within the ‘Red Zone’.  This is deemed a premium area attracting the highest footfall – vitally important if we are to appeal to as many people as possible.  We were also positioned next to a main entrance – this ensured we could literally drive the Van directly on to the stand without having to negotiate the infinite number of fridges and pallets lining the aisles.  The negative of being next to the door was the temperature!  Barely rising above freezing it made the setting up of the stand somewhat challenging – although if you worked hard enough you stood a chance of not quite freezing!  Approximately 6 hours later the Van was perfectly polished and positioned, literature displayed effectively and everything ready for a successful show.

During this time it is important to add that we were visited by the Carpet Police.  Whilst we are still unsure of what they are actually employed to do, they informed us that our carpet wasn’t wide enough and would cause an unsightly gap in the aisle.  Unfortunately for the Carpet Police, we were in keeping with every other stand and therefore they had a failed task on their hands.  In previous years we’ve been visited by the Fire Extinguisher Police and the Cartoon Licensing Police.  Even now, their roles really do not make sense! 

The 33^rd Sigep Exhibition opened on Saturday 21 January at 09:30.  With in excess of 1000 exhibitors on display, visitors certainly had plenty to look at!  The first day was incredibly busy – perhaps what you would call ‘International Day’.  Each year we keep a list of the different countries from whom we have enquiries and interest – by 18:30 on the Saturday we’d spoken with people from 31 different places, including Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Jordan.  During the day, it became apparent that many visitors to the exhibition remembered us from previous years or had learnt about us and Ice Cream Vans via the internet.  No longer were we deemed a new concept and ‘flash in the pan’.

The Sunday of the exhibition is a very different proposition entirely.  First and foremost, its important to recognise that there are some very important and worthwhile people to talk to.  What makes it slightly more challenging is the number of families in attendance for a day out.  Whilst it is nice to chat about Ice Cream Vans and Whitby Morrison and listen to the pleasant compliments, it is time that would be perhaps better utilised with others.  Throughout the day we lost count of the number of people who had their family photo taken with the Van – it must have literally been in the hundreds.  We did consider (tongue in cheek) charging for each photo!  A major positive, which can be taken from this, is the proof shown by the cartoon artwork having a pied piper effect on children from everywhere. 

There were many other positives to be taken from the day of course, with the number of different countries showing an interest increasing by a further 15 to 46.  This included a very promising discussion with a lovely couple from Kyrgyzstan – we are hopeful that we will be soon sending the very first Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Van to this unique country.

The third day of the Sigep Exhibition, the Monday, is a real business day.  Children are back at school and the day-trippers are back at work – virtually everyone in attendance is there because they’re looking for a business opportunity within the industry.  This is perhaps the most enjoyable of the five days, by now the whole team has had chance to settle into the role required.  In addition, the enjoyment is helped by the fact that there is always somebody to talk to. 

The Monday also provided another opportunity for Whitby Morrison; we are currently manufacturing a new Mondial Sprinter for the Bohemilk brand in the Czech Republic.  Prior to Sigep, all discussions had been conducted via email or telephone.  Michael Gabriel for whom the Van is being built took the opportunity of visiting Sigep and meeting the Whitby Morrison team for the first time.  It was a real honour to meet Michael and his family and friends.  Their enthusiasm for the Van on display suggests that his new Mondial will be rather popular when it arrives in the Czech Republic.

During the day we also visited by David Barker and Zelica Carr from the Ice Cream Alliance.  David is the current President of the ICA and took the opportunity to wish us well and have his photo taken next to the Van.

The final two days of Sigep are best summarised as a combination of the first three.  Visitor numbers aren’t quite as high but there remains a sense of quality and worthwhile interest.  Indeed, the very first time we exhibited at Sigep, it was on the final day when we met with Mr and Mrs Scopel from France who placed an order there and then.  Therefore it’s important to recognise this and remain focussed.  The Wednesday itself often brings day trips from local schools and colleges where they learn about the industry, although judging by their requests i tend to think they’re a little more interested in what samples they can acquire!

No sooner had we arrived, then the Exhibition had reached it’s conclusion.  Five very tough but thoroughly productive and enjoyable days.  A quick hour at the close of the show allowed the stand to be quickly dismantled in readiness for departure on the Thursday – the van returning via San Marino, and the Whitby Morrison team returning via Rimini, rather than Ancona!

The whole exhibition proved to be a great success for Whitby Morrison.  We received interest and enquiries from 56 different countries in total – more than 25% of the world!  It was both refreshing and encouraging to hear people saying how they remembered us, or had seen us on the internet and wanted to learn more. 

We would like to thank each and every individual who helped make the event the success that it was.  For those of you who expressed an interest, we will be in touch very soon.  Thank you too to our friends from the UK who kept us entertained and assisted with translations when required.  Wishing you all a very successful and prosperous 2012.