OSM 2016: how not to lose customers

The exhibition of domestic construction materials, ‘OSM 2016’, might be called the “brick” one. The main part of it was focused on the products from Russian ceramics factories. Common and face brick, clinker, ceramic blocks, and porous concrete of various configurations were everywhere.   

 

Here and there, one could see the names of the domestic producers: the Novomoskovsky ceramic factory, “Gras” GC. “Moskeram”, Drauber, Bonolit companies, “Wienerberger” brick, “Petrovsky brick” trading house, “Unital” ceramics… 230 companies showcased their products at the exhibition.

 

The market for ceramic production equipment has shrunk 

The 3^rd specialized exhibition of machines and equipment for the ceramic industry usually takes place within the OSM, but this year it occupied a small space in a faraway hall of the Expocenter. And it was much smaller in size.

— It is not surprising. The market for ceramic production equipment fell significantly in 2015 due to the crisis, — Stanislav Bashirov, one of the participants of the exhibition, explained to us. — Few people want to risk updating their production seriously; they are trying to survive using old stock.

— We are not going to renew our production base this year, confirmed another participant of the OSM 2016 exhibition, Mikhail Sinukov, a brick producer. — It is extremely expensive now. We may replace some elements, and perhaps repair broken parts.

Nevertheless, some Russian offices of famous foreign brands were generous enough to decorate their exhibition mounts.

— We are hoping for the best, said Alexander Sanzharovsky, a representative from a Greek company, producing a whole range of equipment for brick producing factories (presses, clay preparation lines, extruding machines, dry chambers, kilns, weighing and packing lines). — The brand must be supported, at least for us not to be forgotten...

 

Standing in a queue to take first place

Meanwhile, even on the first day of the exhibition the atmosphere in the halls was very lively. The producers put emphasis on showmanship.

At one of the mounts, a pleasant-looking “professor” focused on flasks and retorts, trying to prove the resistibility of a porous concrete block produced according to new technology.

Nearby, a worker was mixing dry mixes in various tanks and immediately showing the result: poured floors, plaster, cement screed.

Another obvious trend of the year was significantly increased displays of the plants and participants.

— The organisers offered us favourable terms this year, — Maxim Kartashov, one of the permanent participants of the exhibition, said. — That is why we decided to take a whole stand, not half as usual. However, the joyful mood of the first day was clouded by an organizational mistake.

— We had to wait outside for about an hour to get to our workplace, getting frozen, as if it were a queue to the Serov exhibition in the Tretyakov Gallery, — a participant of the exhibition, Evgeny Zakharov, said. — There were about a hundred people in the queue and it was moving very slowly, only one person at a time through the scanner. I understand this, the security measures are enhanced now, everything is being checked more carefully, but why this crowd?

— I also did not like the first morning, the crowd, — confirmed another exponent from the OSM 2016, Roman by name.

A representative from a small company dealing with the delivery of loose goods (chip stone, gravel, etc.) blamed the organisers for having written the address of the company’s website wrongly on the stand:

— We have been asking them to make corrections the whole day, but they haven’t done it yet, — he complained. — Of course, it’s a trifle, but it impacts upon the general impression of the exhibition.

Another exhibition participant expounded upon the quality of exhibition services provision.

— We take part annually in the OSM, — the Head of Braer company Marketing Department, Roman Zenoaghe, said. — And we are sorry to note that the number of participants is decreasing every year. 

From his standpoint, the exhibition arrangers should pay more attention to attracting visitors to the exposition halls, and this requires serious advertising.

— The Expocenter has a prominent location, it is easy to get here. But people do not know that the exhibition is taking place, — Roman continued. — Besides, often those who come here are not the core audience. And the business efficiency of the event depends on the number of people who visit your exposition. In general, as our dialogue partner confessed, the arrangers simply switch on the light, and then they step aside.

— Even the most faithful of customers could be lost in this way! — Roman moaned.

Nevertheless, the Braer company occupied two mounts this year, explaining that in this time of crisis, brand “expansion” should increase.

 

Distressed brick as a symbol of import replacement

A small and remote mount really impressed, and there were crowds of people around it.  On simple shelves there lay…the honored guest of import replacement in the sphere of ceramics: hand-formed bricks. 

They were extremely beautiful. Very fashionable now, distressed brick was not produced in Russia until recently (http://www.rcmm.ru/stroitelnye-materialy/22374-keramika-protiv-silikatki.-kto-v-proigryshe.html), and now there are some enterprises, including the OSM participant from Smolensk region, working in this sphere.

Only Dutch and German companies exhibited such retro-ceramics at the previous OSM exhibition. And the price was very high. 

— And we decided to compete with the foreigners, — a representative of the Smolensk enterprise told us. — We have our own laboratory, we have developed a special composition.

Distressed brick is in great demand now: for facing cottages, and lining fire-places. Loft-style finishing is gaining popularity.

— So we think that our business idea will be efficient, — our dialog partner said.

We wish them success.

                                                              Elena MATSEIKO

 

Data of the OSM exhibition (2014—2016)
Year	The number of exponents	Additional companies	The number of visitors
2014*	229*	37*	9890*
2015**	217**	16**	10540*
2016***	242***	26***	8794**** (for two days of work)
* The data by Russian Shows and Conventions Union
** the data taken from the OSM official website
*** the data from the OSM 2016 catalogue **** the data by OSM 2016 arrangers