A total of 2293 visitors joined leading airport suppliers in Singapore for the 4th edition of inter airport South East Asia. The event held over three days from the 21-23 January saw visitors from 49 different countries attend the exhibition. The feedback of buyers and suppliers from the show floor reflects the widely acknowledged success of inter airport South East Asia held in Singapore.
A total of 175 suppliers of airport equipment and technology were exhibiting at the event representing 27 different countries. National Pavilions were a key feature of the event with significant national space taken by Germany, UK, France, China and Finland.
The exhibition was formally opened by Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Finance. The minister remarked during her opening speech: “Airports are long term investments in infrastructure, and because of that, should be designed not just to meet the needs of today, but also the needs of the future. This is a tall order for any airport planner. Events such as inter airport South East Asia are therefore important because they allow experiences to be shared, perspectives to be pooled, and ideas to be exchanged”.
The show attracted a highly international audience with 42% of the visitors coming from overseas. 97% of visitors were from the Asia Pacific and Oceania region. Buyers of airport equipment from across South East Asia attended the event. Every country from the ASEAN region were represented at inter airport, by their national airport authorities. Airports, ground handlers and airport operators from 39 countries were also part of the exhibition visitor profile.
Michael Wilton, Exhibition Director commented: “Airport suppliers exhibiting at inter airport have reported that they are meeting the right level of buyer, and not just from Singapore but from right across Asia Pacific region. These are new contacts that suppliers would not normally get the chance to meet”.
The importance of meeting the right people at inter airport was further highlighted by exhibitor Marcus Franke, Head of sales for DoKaSch: “here at the show we have met several contacts from across the region, which will help us enlarge our existing network in South East Asia. inter airport has enabled us to achieve results which otherwise would have been very difficult and expensive to achieve in such a short time, it has been a great success for us”.
inter airport also featured a large number of buyers from airlines. Representatives of 40 different airlines attended the event with the intention of buying or sourcing solutions to meet their requirements.
Michael Wilton continues “News of exhibitors having made direct sales, boosting their regional contacts and networks coupled with the geographical spread of visitors highlights the importance of an event that brings the industry in this area together. With this in mind planning is already underway for the 5th edition of inter airport in South East Asia which will return to Singapore from 15-17 February 2017”.
On site feedback was excellent, with more than two thirds of exhibitors requesting exhibit space, many on larger stands, for the 5th edition of inter airport South East Asia from 15-17 Feb 2017 in Singapore. The response demonstrates the success of the show and the importance the industry has placed on inter airport South East Asia.
Co-located with inter airport was SMART Airports South East Asia, the high-level conference for airports in the region. The conference has proven to be extremely popular and was also well received by the industry. Themes at the conference covered Terminal Design and Development, Security and Airport IT and Automation. SMART Airports South East Asia conference will once again be co-located with inter airport in 2017
