This year, the IBA fairs in Düsseldorf and Ipack-Ima in Milan took place a couple of days apart: May was a month that saw our Area Managers particularly busy with important events. We interviewed four of them, asking them to tell us more. Commitment, active involvement and concentration were essential ingredients to successfully overcome this Mission Impossible, and not only that!
To begin, we asked Silvia Dall’Agata, Frida Lega, Enrico Barduzzi and Andrea Gorini to tell us how they experienced these two fairs so close together. All four agree that it was, undoubtedly, a very busy time, but also rewarding one. Above all it was an occation to meet with customers, both new and established ones. “The challenge is to be able to fit everything in perfectly. Being far from the office naturally slows down work”, says Enrico.
Silvia also confirms how complex it is to manage the presence at the fair and the daily routine of the office, but “after all, these are two fairs that CEPI cannot miss, so we do our best!” Frida, in addition to the commitment in terms of physical and mental energy, tells us that she has seen a good turnout, especially at IBA. “Ipack-ima is more of a niche for CEPI: for me, who also follows Northern Italy, it was an opportunity to meet with those customers, less with the foreign ones”.
Finally, Andrea, who is the youngest of the Team, says he found both experiences very interesting and particularly appreciated the fact that “they are two fairs that are similar in some ways, but with always different aspects that show realities of all kinds”.
We then asked the four interviewees to tell us something about the fortieth anniversary at IBA: impressions, feelings, thoughts. Frida tells us: “The CEPI party was definitely explosive! The vibe it created was very positive, both for us and for those who joined us in the celebrations. We were all pleasantly impressed and involved in what we prepared.” Silvia also confirmed that she greatly appreciated the booth and the party to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the company: “I was positively impressed by how involved our visitors were. So many customers, so many agents, so many friends… all of them showing a great interest in our company and products”.
Andrea and Enrico also agree with our Area Managers, who found the party, in addition to being special, also suitable and proportionate to the context in which it took place. Having addressed the aspect more closely linked to the celebrations of CEPI’s fortieth anniversary, we moved more towards their role in CEPI, asking each of them to tell us something about the Sales experience in these two such large and structured fairs. Silvia begins: “These big fairs are my favorite: there is a constant flow, a good level of visitors and you stay engaged seeing different customers who are interested with real and concrete requests”.
Frida has the same feeling, because she tells us how the CEPI Area Managers noticed an uptick in the preparation of visitors who turn to them for projects or solutions. “Perhaps a slightly reduced influx, but of greater quality. The meeting at the fair has become strategic and already lays the foundations for a project, often even a prototype of a system”, says Frida, who concludes: “A lot of work, a lot of customers and a lot of networking, but also light moments that help to build personal connections”.
And as Enrico maintains: “On the one hand the fair is the right time to gather new contacts, to link up with partners and companies; but the most complex part to manage remains the follow-up, without a shadow of a doubt.” Finally, Andrea concludes, “there is an increasing desire, on both sides, to learn and look for solutions; there is a great propensity for dialogue”.
Finally, we were curious to know which products and solutions were most requested: in other words, what is being looked for by those who need bulk handling. All four agree that what is exhibited at the fair automatically attracts a strong interest. Enrico says that at IBA his customers were especially interested in the fermenters on display, although the geographical areas he follows are even more oriented towards silos and dosing systems.
Frida and Silvia confirm the interest in fermenters, adding that they saw a strong demand for generic systems for managing raw materials (silos, micro, liquids), but also flour cooling, big bags and flour dusters. Andrea continues: “The standard components always arouse a lot of interest; among the special applications, however, the most requested is the blender.” And Frida concludes: “I have also received various requests for both dry and liquid rework”.
In conclusion, the IBA and Ipack-Ima fairs were a real tour de force for our Area Managers, but it was worth it. These events offered the opportunity to strengthen ties with regular customers and to create new ones, demonstrating how crucial they are for our sector. CEPI’s fortieth anniversary at IBA was a shared moment that left everyone enthusiastic. The fairs highlighted a growing interest in our products, with a particular focus on fermenters, dosing systems and bulk-handling solutions. In short, a mix of commitment, networking and innovation that brought excellent results!
