With over 2,000 exhibitors from 53 countries, spread across a surface area of 107,000 square metres, EuroShop 2011 was a special event, and as ESM discovered, it was a hotbed for innovation in the retail sector. ESM was impressed with the breakdown of stands and the overall efficiency of the event - the quality of the exhibitors seemed to be up on previous years.
The EuroCIS segment, which was home to the latest IT and security technology was a huge success, with the level of new product development in the retail sector proving a hit with attendees [See http://bit.ly/f7aUx1]. EuroSales, which focused on visual marketing, sales promotion and POS marketing was also home to a number of impressive exhibitors.
Refrigeration [part of the EuroConcept segment, which focused on shop fitting, lighting, floor coverings, architecture and store design] was another area in which technology seemed to be making an impact [see http://bit.ly/e6rlv8]. One company ESM was impressed by was Astron Engineering, Irelands leading specialists in the design and manufacture of customised salad bars, which launched the RG 'Roll Glass' salad bar at Euroshop. This completely unique patent design is motion sensor controlled, with automatic opening plus closing roll glass canopy - representing the future of self serve fresh food. The cabinet remains closed until the customer approaches the unit, keeping the food fresher for longer and is more energy effecient as a result. The Roll Glass salad bar received a phenomenal response at EuroShop, particularly from the US, Australian and German delegates.
If ESM was to have any gripes about EuroShop 2011, it was that perhaps the international spread wasn't as pronounced as we would have hoped, with a sizable majority of exhibitors coming from Germany. Additionally, while the show directory was useful - it was very heavy to be carrying around - perhaps in future years, the organisers may consider creating separate directories for each of the segments of the event.
All in all, however, a fantastically run event, which should be run every two years rather than three years, in our opinion. (2 Mar)
© 2011 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine
