The post below we take you through everything you need to know. This includes visitor demographics, what to expect and top tips for GIFA.
Who attends
There are over 2,000 exhibitors who represent every element in the casting process; from raw materials to product delivery. Whether looking for suppliers or to broaden your professional network, GIFA is the event for you. Furthermore, because the event is so prestigious the vast majority of attendees are industry decision makers so your new connections are likely to be valuable to your business.
Each trade fair has a slightly different demographic of visitors and exhibitors. Planning out where your time will be best spent is a worthwhile activity:
- GIFA: Experts in ferric, steel and non-ferrous metal castings as well as engineering
- METEC and THERMPROCESS: Core visitor group is from iron and steel production, plant engineering, construction, apparatus engineering and tool making
- NEWCAST: Experts within the automotive and gear manufacturing tend to lead the visitor group but there is also growth within engineering, apparatus engineering and tool making.
GIFA in numbers
There are a lot of big numbers when it comes to GIFA. With thousands of international visitors and exhibitors this is comes as no surprise. To help you see the key stats relating to GIFA we have created an infographic:
What to expect
You can expect a busy couple of days when you attend GIFA 2019. 50% of visitors interviewed confirmed they had identified a new supplier during GIFA. Because of the high number of exhibitors and the numerous trade forums there are multiple networking opportunities. Check out our top tips for GIFA below to learn how to best organise your time.
There are a whole host of businesses attending committed to improving the casting process. But, because there are over 200 exhibitors it is important to have created a shortlist of the companies that you wish to engage with. There are some stands that are hard to get a look at because of the number of people in them! We expect the JML Industrie stand (15H14) to be like this.
Finally, you can expect to leave GIFA inspired and motivated. Because the event joins so many industry leaders and innovative working methods, you are likely to leave with new partnership ideas, fresh motivation and a pocket full of business cards. The GIFA lectures and conferences provide further opportunities for learning and networking.
The GIFA exhibitor product profile includes:
- Foundry technology
- Raw materials
- Auxiliary materials
- Die casting technology
- Process materials
- Machine technology
- Processing technology
- Foundry chemistry
- Measuring
- Controlling
- Regulating technology
- Safety technology
The graphic below shows the official GIFA 2015 breakdown of visitors:
Top tips for GIFA
To stay up to date with GIFA you can follow them on their many social media channels:
LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/2QIoeh7
Facebook: facebook.com/TheBrightWorldofMetals
Twitter: //twitter.com/@TBWoM">@TBWoM
Xing (a German-speaking business network): http://bit.ly/2QEFN1q
If you are in learning more about the specific trade fairs within GMTN trade quartet we recommend looking at their individual websites:
- GIFA =com
- METEC) = metec-tradefair.com
- THERMPROCESS = thermprocess-online.com
- NEWCAST = com
How to make the most of your day
Wear comfortable shoes – boring but important. In 2015 GIFA was over 47,000m2. You don’t want to be wearing a new pair of shoes on day 1 and regretting it for the following days.
Plan your route – back to the fact that GIFA is huge! Once the venue plan is out try and work out the best circuit to avoid lots of long walks.
Book key meeting in advance – because of the huge visitor numbers the key exhibitors will have very busy stands. We suggest booking meetings with key partners and prospects prior to the event. You can find the full list of the exhibitors and products at GMTN 2019 here.
Leverage social media – if you have been unable to secure firm meetings then use GIFA as an opportunity to connect with your key prospects on LinkedIn. Also make sure that your content gets seen by using the right hashtags.
The official GIFA hashtags are:
#TBWOM2019 – central event
#GMTN and #GMTN2019 – Trade fair quartet
#GIFA #METEC #THERMPROCESS #NEWCAST- the individual trade fair tags
Check out ecoMetals – GIFA is a real opportunity to see how the industry is changing. This GIFA initiative was performed for the second time in 2015 and supports exhibitors who make a positive contribution to the environment and present at GIFA for the first time. This initiative supports the industry focus around energy efficiency and smart use of resources. Visitors can follow the “ecoMetal trails” to see the participating exhibitors.
Visit JML Industrie – We are currently working on our new stand, which is significantly bigger than last year. This year we will be showcasing the full range of equipment offered by JML Industries.
We would love to talk to you about how we can help your foundry to stay ahead.