Successful first quarter for Stockholm International Fairs

Stockholm International Fairs has had a satisfactory start to 2006. There has been a significant increase in visitors, exhibitors and media representatives in the first quarter compared with the same period last year. The number of visitors has risen by almost 40% and the number of exhibiting companies by nearly 20% in 2006. “We have had a tremendous exhibition year so far and almost all our fairs have shown an increase in visitor numbers. The giant leap in the total figures can be explained by the fact that we have had a favourable exhibition schedule this spring, and a lot of fairs that only occur every couple or few years have taken place” says Björn Delin, Manager International Marketing at Stockholm International Fairs. The number of visitors has risen from approximately 253,200 in 2005 to 352,000 in 2006. The amount of exhibiting companies at Stockholm International Fairs has also gone up from some 3,300 to 4,100 companies from 2005 to 2006. The number of media representatives was around 3,100 in the first quarter of last year and 4,000 in the same period in 2006. “Times are good for fair organizers in Scandinavia” says Björn Delin. “The region’s general economic situation has improved and companies invest more in marketing efforts. On top of that, an increase in private consumption has lead to a continued positive development for public fairs. This trend is something we have noticed in our own shows such as Nordic Gardens and the Stockholm International Boat Show. ” Stockholm International Fairs (Stockholmsmässan) is the Nordic and Baltic region’s largest fair and congress organiser. Their annual programme contains approximately 80 different events. We also host a large number of international and domestic congresses, conferences and other events. Nearly 10,000 companies worldwide participate in their events yearly with attendance figures of approximately 1.5 million visitors.