Marketing Communications

CASE 14 479

visitors of Batibouw 2007 revealed the following. Batibouw

had 361 644 visitors, of whom 290 159 were private individuals

and 71 485 professionals. Of the professionals, 62% came

on the first two days that are limited to professional visitors

and 38% came on the other days. As a comparison, in

2006 there were 369 178 visitors ( Figure 14.3 ).

All professional visitors wear a name badge so that

they are easily recognisable to exhibitors. Professionals are

registered in advance so the organisation has information

about them. At the end of every day, it can see if the profes-

sionals have been at the fair and then send them an e-mail

to thank them for their visit and ask if they want to fill in

a questionnaire. In 2007 forty-two per cent of the profes-

sional visitors came to Batibouw to get in touch with the

market, 25% to learn about new products, 13% to look for

concrete solutions for specific problems, 9% to discover

existing suppliers and 5% to discover new suppliers. Fifty-

four per cent of the professionals said they were prepared

when coming to the fair and 46% said they were not

prepared. From the 54% who came prepared for the fair,

41% informed themselves on the Batibouw website, 16%

read articles in the press, 3% read the Batibouw catalogue

and 40% had other ways of preparing. Seventeen per

cent of the professional visitors found exactly what they

expected at the fair, 69% for the most part, 12% not really,

1% not at all and 1% had no opinion. When FISA asked the

professional visitors if they were attending to buy from an

exhibitor because they met it at the fair, 21% were sure,

51% said maybe, 15% thought not and 13% had no opinion.

Seventy-eight per cent of the professionals said that

they had discovered a few com panies at the fair that they

did not know before, 8% said that they had discovered

a lot of new companies and 14% said that they had not

discovered any.

FISA also surveys the private (non-professional) visitors.

Twenty-six per cent of the general public visited the fair

in 2007 because they were building a new house, 39%

were renovating, 19% were redecorating, 12% had no specific

reason and 4% had another reason not mentioned. Sixty-

three per cent of the private visitors prepared for their visit

and 37% did not. Half of them prepared themselves by

using the website, 17% by reading articles, 5% by reading

the catalogue and 28% used other ways to prepare

themselves. Thirteen per cent saw totally what they had

expected on the fair, 70% for the most part, 14% not really,

2% not at all and 1% had no opinion. Eighteen per cent of

the public visitors thought about placing an order with an

exhibitor they had seen at the fair, 60% thought there was

a possibility, 16% thought they would not and 6% had no

opinion. Seventy per cent of the public visitors said they

had discovered a few companies they did not know before

visiting the fair, 25% said they had discovered a lot of new

companies and 5% said they had not discovered any.

Batibouw is a strongly segmented fair, so every segment

of the building industry is located in a different hall. In the

survey, the organisation asks visitors which hall they came

to visit. Based on those answers, the organisation learns

more about what people are looking for in their homes or

what are they are interested in. Once FISA has gathered all

the information, it shares it with exhibitors. It is important

Figure 14.3 Daily visitors at Batibouw, 2006 and 2007

Source : Geert Maes, CEO, FISA.

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