Is It The End Or A New Beginning For Baselworld?

"I am accordingly confident that with our new concepts and offers we will be able to score points with exhibitors and visitors alike and that together we will achieve the turnaround The process of transforming Baselworld into an experience platform is in full swing We also plan to use this year's show as an opportunity to present our vision for Baselworld 2020 and subsequent years to exhibitors and all interested parties.

We have already received very good feedback from important exhibitors on the approach sketched in that vision." Among the changes is a new floor layout that is drastically different from past few years, mostly by necessity, as the number of exhibitors declined by about 75%, with most of the fallout coming in the past three years Even before the new exhibition space was dedicated, exhibitors were complaining about dramatic price hikes, along with demands to increase the size of spaces and spend more money to create more attractive of booths in exchange for better locations in the fair Still these were not the reasons why the number of Baselworld exhibitors plummeted by roughly 50% from 2017 to 2018.

Eric Bertrand, former president of the Baselworld Exhibitors' Committee, leveled the harshest criticism toward those exhibitors who left, particularly fashion brands Focusing on the five largest companies confirmed the long-held beliefs of many other exhibitors that Baselworld only cared about the big firms Since August, the new show management has taken great pains to present a more friendly face, showing that they are serving the best interest of exhibitors and attendees. Source