Underhållsmässan makes a powerful comeback

Last year’s fair had to be cancelled halfway through due to a further outbreak of the pandemic. This year Underhållsmässan, the Swedish Maintenance Fair, which ended last Friday, was back in full force – and is getting rave reviews from participants:
“We experienced an extremely high quality,” says Erik Askensjö, CEO of Schaeffler Sweden, one of many satisfied exhibitors.

Four intense and high-energy days with the long-awaited opportunity for physical business meetings. This is the best way to sum up the Swedish Maintenance Fair 2022, Europe’s leading meeting place for smart maintenance, which took place from 31 May to 3 June at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre.

A revenge of sorts, too, as the 2020 fair came to an abrupt end after two days when the government imposed restrictions on visitors due to the pandemic.
“Really. There’s been a huge appetite in the sector to get together physically at long last, so it feels really good to be able to deliver,” says Anna Jarnö, Business Manager for the Maintenance Fair.
“There has been no mistaking the joy of meeting up again and taking in all the new things. The turnout in the theatre area, for example, has been fantastic; it’s been packed all the time. What’s more, exhibitors testify that they have met just the right customers and received many hot leads,” she adds.

This year’s fair, which brought together 250 exhibitors and nearly 7,500 visitors, offered a packed programme, with Smart Maintenance as the overarching theme. The forward-looking Industrial Tech Startup Arena and Production for Future attracted a lot of attention, as did the packed seminar programme on the Main Stage, which also hosted awards ceremonies.

The Maintenance Leader of the Year, chosen by the national organisation Svenskt Underhåll, was Maria Ryytty of LKAB, and the Big Productivity Prize went to IESA AB.

Held in parallel with the Maintenance Fair, the Safety Officer Days focused on safety and the working environment. The opening speaker was Deputy Minister of Labour Johan Danielsson, who addressed the burning issue of criminal behaviour in the workplace in his speech. He received many questions and there were lively discussions during the conference, which was attended by safety representatives from industry, construction and the transport sector.

Two other new initiatives for the year were the Business Hour, a joint gathering of exhibitors for an hour in the morning before opening, and the Recruitment Slam.
“This was well received and will be developed further. After all, the industry is crying out for skilled staff,” says Anna Jarnö.
“Overall, we’ve had a tremendous response to this year’s fair and a large number of exhibitors have already booked places for 2024.”

With the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre growing as a meeting place, the team behind the Maintenance Fair is also being strengthened, with
Anders Persson taking over as the new Business Manager. 2024 marks the 40^th anniversary of the Maintenance Fair, and this will be celebrated in a variety of ways.

Here is what some exhibitors had to say about the 2022 Swedish Maintenance Fair:

Tomas Eriksson, Sales Manager, MaintMaster:
“This fair is one of the best we have been to. We have met high quality visitors and obtained many hot leads. There have been fewer visitors this year, but those who came had very specific questions. So it’s been much better for us as exhibitors.”

Richard Andersson, Product Specialist, Nilfisk:
“We got a lot of interest and obtained a large number of leads at this year’s Swedish Maintenance Fair. Many of these were from new customers for us, coming to the stand and wanting help with different types of solutions. We are obviously very happy about that.”

Charlotte Gullberg, Head of Marketing, Würth Svenska AB:
“Visitors have shown enormous interest and we have received a number of enquiries, especially about our ORSY digital solutions. We have had many good discussions, not least with safety representatives.”

Erik Askensjö, CEO, Schaeffler Sverige:
“We are more than satisfied. We not only got leads, we’ve basically got customers coming in and confirming that they want us as a supplier. The visitors to the stand have been of an extremely high quality.”

Jennie Åkerman, Head of Marketing, SKF Sverige:
“We are passionate about making Swedish industry more competitive. At the Maintenance Fair we had the chance to show how we will do it, in concrete terms. We say: stop wasting your time, take care of your stock, if it is not completely destroyed you can recondition it with us.”

Want to know  more?
Contact Anna Jarnö or Anders Persson at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre, tel. 031-708 80 00.
More information: www.underhall.se