Is it worth attending JEC World?

JEC World is from far the largest worldwide event I know 100% focused on composite materials with all industries represented, from material suppliers up to the end users. With its relocation 2 years ago from Paris downtown to Villepinte (Northern suburb of Paris), the event took a new dimension. And, while we could fear some desertification due to this move, we clearly observed an increased attendance. So, my response to the question is YES but… you would better get there well prepared otherwise you might get lost in a mass of information.

As a visitor, my advice would be to clearly establish your objectives and a strategy to reach these objectives prior to the event: plan your itinerary through the isles to make sure you do not waste time finding your way, schedule meetings, check the conference and demonstration agenda published on the event webpage… And, most importantly, grab your most comfortable shoes with you. To make your life easier, you can also install the JEC World application on your smartphone once there. Three days are not too much in regards to the quantity of information you can collect but the key is preparation.

As an exhibitor, and this was my situation for the last 10 years, I would say that, if you are involved in composite business and must select one event, this is definitely THE event to include in your marketing plan. This is the place where all your customers and potential customers will be during these 3 days of March. I just need here to moderate my words in regards to US visitors who are, from my experience, not as many as we could expect. But still, what an opportunity!

Like the visitors, exhibitors need to establish objectives and strategy. ESI Group challenge for this year was as usual to meet with our customers and partners but also to reach more “new people” than the previous years. Thanks to hourly live demonstrations and industrial project presentations, in a dedicated area of our booth opened to any passerby, we greatly reached our target and gave a good dynamism to our booth. A real marathon for our technical team…

JEC World is a yearly “rendez-vous” to get a taste of the market trends and better understand on-going evolutions. For years, I spent most of my tradeshows explaining to visitors what composite manufacturing simulation is and what value it brings to product developments. Years after years, I have been repeating the same message on the “what” and “what for”. But this year, it was different! I did not have to explain the role of simulation. The question is now: “would it really work on my part with my so specific process?”. What a step forward! It is now just up to us to proof the value… JEC World does not stop mid of March: event follow-up will almost drive us up to next year edition! It might explain why it almost took me 2 months to find time for that article.