Foundation
VNU Exhibitions Europe is a full subsidiary of the Jaarbeurs Groep. The direct reason to set up the Jaarbeurs was the First World War. Because of the war, international trade to and from the Netherlands had declined dramatically. Without import, goods had to be produced nationally, resulting in an increase in national trade. This also created a demand for a central location to meet business contacts.

On the initiative of the Vereeniging Nederlandsch Fabrikaat, the Maatschappij van Nijverheid and the Nederlandse Vereeniging voor Tentoonstellingsbelangen, the Vereeniging tot het houden van Jaarbeurzen in Nederland was founded in 1916. Utrecht was selected as a location for the annual trade shows, as it was centrally located and easily accessible.

The first Jaarbeurs
The first Jaarbeurs in Utrecht was held in 1917, in the former Fruit Hall and Corn Exchange on the Vredenburg, and on the Janskerkhof. 87,000 selected visitors, from both industry and retail, visited the two-week event, where 690 Dutch companies presented themselves. This first edition, which was heavily promoted and which offered cheap train deals, was a huge success.

The Interbellum
When the second trade show in the spring of 1918 turned out to be a resounding success again, with 1062 participants, the organization decided to create a permanent base in Utrecht. In 1921, a fall trade show was also organized. In the same year, the Fruit Hall was replaced by a dedicated trade show complex. In 1930, the Corn Exchange was also replaced by a new building, which had to be expanded twice.

The Second World War
In 1942, during the Second World War, the German occupiers banned any trade shows, and the buildings were confiscated. The first post-war trade show was organized in 1946, this time without grants and subsidies from the government or council. Because the number of participants continued to grow, the Jaarbeurs had to expand again. As there was no more room on the Vredenburg, the Jaarbeurs moved to its current location, on the Croeselaan.

Specialization
Before the Second World War, there were only two trade shows per year: one in the spring and one in the fall. The exhibitors’ demand for a more specific type of visitor led to the development of more specialized trade shows in the 50s, such as the Bouwbeurs, the Techni-Show and the Meubelbeurs.

Mega trade shows
In the 80s, these specialized trade shows developed into huge events, with the Meubelbeurs and Internationale Bouwbeurs as extremes, requiring temporary accommodation for tens of thousands of meters of stand space, because even the 100,000 m² Jaarbeurs complex was too small.

Rationalization
This changed in the 90s, also on indication of the Jaarbeurs itself, who prefered exhibitors to invest more in visitor marketing instead of a large stand or intricate stand construction. Participation was no longer seen as an unquantifiable marketing instrument, but as an activity aimed at achieving a good ROI. Concepts such as visitor density, length of stay and lead marketing became important.

VNU Exhibitions Europe
This change – from floor space to visitor marketing – also had its repercussions on the organization of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Jaarbeurs. In 2002, the company split up into a holding – Jaarbeurs Groep – with three subsidiary companies: Jaarbeurs Utrecht, Jaarbeurs Catering Services and Jaarbeurs Exhibitions & Media. This way, each company was better able to serve specific markets. The first subsidiary specialized in the accommodation of third-party activities, the second in providing catering services in the complex and beyond, and the third focused on organizing activities to bring people together to create profitable contacts.

Internet
The new millennium also saw the rise of the Internet. And just as other professional service providers, the Internet shook things up in the market and introduced new opportunities: Nowadays, e-mail marketing is an integral part of visitor canvassing, online trade shows create more transparency in a world of Big Data, bringing together supply and demand 365 days a year, and trade show websites actively match exhibitors and visitors.

Social media
If you have 1200 Facebook friends, it is important to know who your real friends are. The same is true in business: Meeting new contacts is so easy, that it is hard to determine how valuable these contacts are. That is why real life contacts remain important. The ‘Like’ can never replace a handshake, the LinkedIn account is never as good as personal contact, and a real smile will always beat a smiley.

This doesn’t mean we ignore social media, on the contrary. Our activities are strongly linked to social media, and we are always open to online dialogue. We see (online) trade shows as the ultimate social medium.

The future
We don’t know what the future will bring. What we do know, is that people will always be people. People who do business by meeting up with business contacts, people who love networking with likeminded others, and people who enjoy finding out new and valuable information. That is why we believe that our job will continue to be important in the future. A job we love doing.

VNU Exhibitions Europe Past Events

VIV MEA 2020