Ζuidberg and exibitions

Next year, Zuidberg will once again be represented at the Agritechnica in Germany, the largest European agrotechnology trade fair that is held every two years. In addition to national exibitions, open days and local exhibitions at home and abroad, it is one of the many events at which Zuidberg presents itself.

Gerben Klungel (Export Manager) and Martin Kalter and Markus Bauregger (Sales Managers) explain: “At the Agritechnica and other events, we show OEM customers, importers and dealers what we have to offer and what we are working on. At the same time, it is also a great way to talk to many people and quickly make new contacts. And not unimportant: it contributes to our team building.”

Space for partnership
Preparations for participation in the Agritechnica in November 2023 have now started. “As Zuidberg, we want to promote our full-service concept. We invest in our own specialisations, innovations and production to provide customers with the best total value. We think carefully about how to convey that. What exactly do we want to present? How many square metres do we need? All our themes and objectives should be reflected in our stand. Partnership, for example, is very important to us. So, there should, at least, be space to allow people to sit down and talk to each other.”

Silver medal
Exibitions are the perfect place to showcase new concepts and innovations. “OEMs are at a trade fair looking for ideas, expertise and knowledge as well as for partners,” Gerben, Martin and Markus know. “We want to show that we can be their perfect partner in that field. Moreover, there are awards to be won for innovations. You get a lot of exposure if you are nominated, but even more so if you win. In 2015, we received the silver medal at the Agritechnica for our CVT front PTO. We also received awards for that new technology at FIMA in Spain and EIMA in Italy. Other innovations we have shown in recent years include our High-Speed Track System and transmission with integrated torque measurement. Such developments allow you to attract customers and to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise. You can start dialogues with OEMs because you, as a partner, have a lot to offer them.”

Zuidberg not only attends the big events but is also visible at smaller (inter)national fairs and open days. “We support our importers and dealers at events in their region or open days at their own companies. We supply brochures and merchandise and help them by providing exhibition stands, things like that.”

Team building
Besides the external benefits, trade fair participation has another important benefit for Zuidberg: team building. Zuidberg's international employees get to know each other well via the multi-day event. Markus, Sales Manager for South Germany and Austria: “In Garbsen, Germany, the entire team stayed in a hotel half an hour's drive from the trade fair site. During Agritechnica, we always stay overnight in the area with the whole team as well. We have dinner together and go to the bar in the evening. We experience the craziest things together. It’s fantastic team building. That's how you really get to know your colleagues.”

Considering the future
The three Sales Managers expect Zuidberg's participation in trade shows to change in the future. Martin: “We are still defining our strategy for this. We may expand our international participation, not only by participating in Agritechnica but also in other major international exibitions. In a few days you can talk to a lot of people which you would otherwise spend months trying to contact. You can also reach your target group via social media, but that’s much more impersonal. You are also less likely to reach the right person. At a trade fair, you are much more likely to meet the right engineer face to face.”

For the aftermarket, trade shows are on their way out, Markus believes: “Due to the measures surrounding Covid-19, there have been no exibitions for the past two years. And in truth, we have hardly missed the smaller regional events. Tractors are sold anyway. We don't need exibitions for the aftermarket; online communication is much more important in that respect.”

Finally, according to Gerben, organising partner events ourselves is a great alternative that is gaining popularity. “We would prefer to visit all our importers every year, but we can't manage that. That's how we decided to turn it around and bring the importers to us. Every two years, we organise an importers’ event, at which we give the importers a tour of the factory. This allows us to meet and connect with them more informally.”