For the distributors of promotional products in Europe the choice of trade fairs seems to become wider. An emailing I just received from PRO8 reminded me there is a choice.
Two more trade shows popped up in the market. Besides the traditional PSI in Düsseldorf the distributor is now also invited to visit the Pro-dimex and even the 2008 newcomer PRO8 in Amsterdam.
What’s the difference, which fair should the distributor visit to prepare his 2008 sales?
PSI, PRO 8 or Prodimex or the three of them ?

Let me give you my feelings about this :
PSI for sure lost a lot of its initial energy and is not any more THE central EU meeting point it was 10 years ago. Many distributors only visit PSI once every two years. Booths are bigger at the PSI, the number of halls increased, but I miss all these small innovation companies I saw there 10 years ago.
Nevertheless, it’s still THE meeting point for many distributors, importers and suppliers. The only big handicap of PSI is that it cannot accept Far East exhibitors They simply can’t because the big EU importers, which are PSI major exhibitors, refuse to see their own Chinese suppliers there. Quite logical indeed from their point of view, but nowadays many distributors would be more than happy to see their Asian suppliers in a EU based trade fair.

This is exactly where Pro-dimex found its reason to be. Pro-dimex is for sure smaller than the PSI, and visitors will be the PSI visitors as this trade fair is also held in Düsseldorf, same dates as PSI. The difference is that Pro-dimex is open also. Personally I’m convinced that it’s a logic choice which will be confirmed year after year.

Then for the first time appears the PRO8 in Amsterdam, the way the fair is promoted through their e-mailings and publications remembers me this bunch of Italian Men in Black Guys who launched the IPEO in Cannes some years ago.

IPEO was launched in Cannes because they imagined the EU distributors would be attracted by the SEA/SUN aspect of the show. I had a booth there during two years, must say; didn’t see much of the sun as the fair was held in the low roofed dusty cellars of the Palais de Cannes.
So what does the PRO8 propose me really new ? Indeed Amsterdam is an attractive place for me, I was born there and live in the south of France since 25 years so it’s a pleasure to see my home town again. I believe also that for distributors Amsterdam is a far more attractive place then Düsseldorf with « Das Schiffschen and Schumacher ».
But this is not enough of a reason for me to visit this new fair. So let’s have a closer look in their PRO 8 newsletters ( received two of them, one for distributors and one for suppliers) :
It presents me « The annual European promo conference & trade show with a 3-dimensional communications platform ». wow…, sounds good ! So difference with PSI is the conference aspect. Hope it will make the difference because exhibitors will be same of a kind as at the PSI, Asian exhibitors are not welcome here either.

Visitors ? Target group of PRO 8 are those distributors out of the 25 000 in EU that are not member of PSI.
Entrance ticket costs 25 Euros only, PSI membership is around 400 Euros or more. Will the lower entrance fee attract more distributors? And which ones? A high entrance fee like PSI is according to me a good quality filter.

If you want to know more about PSI, PRO8 or Pro dimex, see our complete interviews below :

• John Swaab Pro8, one more trade fair for the premium and gift industry in Europe?
• Sabine Gelderman 750 exhibitors at the PSI show in Düsseldorf
• Hendrik Schelkes Why would you visit the pro Dimex trade fair?

My colleagues from the Horizongroup will visit PSI/Pro-dimex 2008.
But I won’t as I’ll visit the PPAI in Las Vegas. ‘ll even take one day off there, rent a Harley Davidson, and visit the Grand Canyon again. That’s worth a visit to 10 promotional product trade shows, believe me!!
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PSI Düsseldorf / Düsseldorf / Germany / 9-11 January 2008
Pro-dimex / Dusseldorf / Germany / 10-12 January 2008
Pro 8 / Amsterdam / Holland / 29-31 January 2008

Related posts:

1. Why would you visit the pro Dimex trade fair?
2. Gift and Premium trade fairs in January 2008
3. Pro8, one more tradefair for the premium and gift industry in Europe ?
4. Promotional products trade fairs in January 2007
5. Visiting the Hong Kong premium and gift fair