EDRA addresses appeal to product suppliers

EDRA, the European DIY Retail Association, has issued an appeal to product brand suppliers to participate at DIY and home improvement trade fairs. In the past major brand companies tended to have huge exhibition stands which resulted in extremely high costs. The association is now suggesting that these brand suppliers could be represented on one booth which would function as a communication centre. This is where members of EDRA and other visitors could meet these companies’ representatives, instead of having to go to hotels or other venues outside the fair. As the association has ascertained, even though the major brand companies are not exhibiting at these trade fairs, their senior executives are still going there and meeting the retailers. “EDRA strongly believes that these trade fairs are ‘the pulse of our industry’ and if there were no major international trade fairs in the future, this would be a major loss for our industry,” to quote the association’s appeal word for word.This is not the first time that EDRA has expressed criticism within this context. After last year’s Spoga+Gafa event the association reproached non-exhibiting companies with simply using the event as a contact platform without making any personal commitment.