Partner

MIDEST 2015: CHARGED WITH EMOTION, IT WAS A SHOW LIKE NO OTHER

Reading time: min

MIDEST, the global show for all industrial subcontracting know-how, took place from 17th to 20th November at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre; but this year it was very far from being business as usual. It was a show charged with emotion following the horrifying attacks and their consequences that had plunged Paris into mourning on the weekend preceding its opening. There was a searing pain that all shared, visitors and exhibitors alike, but, equally, the unbowed resilience of everyone present is reflected in the attendance figures published here, as always, in the final press release. Out of the 1,603 exhibitors who had booked only some fifty, including around forty international exhibitors, did not occupy their stands. The cautious stance adopted by their governments or managements was fully understandable. On the visitor front, there was a 17% drop in numbers. Whilst certainly significant, initial feedback suggests that this was not as severe as it might at first seem in the light of a very high quality customer profile.

Exhibitors and visitors from around the world

This year, MIDEST’s exhibitors were drawn from 39 countries.
Although France remains the most highly represented country, accounting for over 62% of the exhibitors, the show also featured a strong international presence made up of 572 companies active in all the major sectors of industrial subcontracting.
A total of 34,070 professionals from 68 countries planning specific projects attended the event and 15% of them came from outside France. 

A totally new conference programme crowned with success

For the first time this year and reflecting its determination to offer professionals the benefits of actual experience, MIDEST put together a strong conference program focusing on themes that are of central importance to industry. It was an encouraging start and the dozen lectures that were delivered attracted a good audience.

Events with a difference

In order to reinforce and flesh out the themes addressed by this conference programme, MIDEST also set up, again for the first time, four themed info points. Amongst other things, these allowed professionals to project themselves into a virtual world and to play with robots (Industry of the Future), to have themselves scanned with the chance to win a colour statuette of themselves (Additive Manufacturing), to undertake online vocational tests and to consult job offers (Employment / Training) or to vote for the winners of the awards chosen by the public (Industrial Subcontracting Awards). Wednesday was devoted to the major challenge of employment and training and it allowed manufacturers to make contact with young people undergoing vocational training.

This special day was staged in association with Fabrique de l’Industrie and involved the participation of numerous partners. Several events took place over the course of the day, including a number of speed meetings in which the joint President of Fabrique de l’Industrie, Louis Gallois, took part in person. There were also meetings between young people.  Amongst the other events on offer to both visitors and exhibitors, the Industrial Subcontracting Awards shone the spotlight on outstanding pieces of work and the b2fair – Business to Fairs® business meetings provided a forum for subcontractors and/or customers looking to forge partnerships in a particular sector, market or geographical region.

MIDEST travels the world

MIDEST 2015, which ran in conjunction with TOLEXPO, the international exhibition of equipment for working metal sheets, reels, tubes and sections, was also an opportunity to present the fifth MIDEST MAROC. This major industrial event will take place in Casablanca from 9th to 12th December and will feature six major sectors: machine tools, subcontracting, plastics, services, electronics and sheet metal.

MIDEST 2015 also served as the venue for the official launch of MIDEST India, which will be held for the first time from 8th to 11th July 2016 in New Delhi. On the occasion of the show, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and Reed Exposition France signed a mutual interest agreement that will allow new opportunities to be opened up through the events of the group and to reinforce economic links between the French private sector and ONUDI’s global networks, and in particular the subcontracting and partnership exchange (SPX) network, the investment and technology promotion offices (ITPO) and the network of  investment promotion agencies. As a result, MIDEST welcomed a delegation of subcontracting exchanges from the ONUDI network (Senegal, Cameroon, Kuwait) and 15 Cameroon companies coordinated by the Cameroon SPX, with the support of ONUDI.

Source: MIDEST

[0]