Busworld Kortrijk facts & figures
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Busworld 2009: best ever!
The jubilee edition of Busworld Kortrijk in 2009 surpassed the previous edition on all fronts. Not only were there more exhibitors, but also the event witnessed a rise in sales and the number of visitors. The sizeable expansion of Kortrijk Xpo, with the new hall 7 and the semi-permanent hall, from 7,500 m2 to 50,000 m2 raised the infrastructure to world class level. In short, Busworld 2009 was the best ever!
How might the recession affect sales, the number of exhibitors, the visitors, the hotels, the restaurants, the transport, and so on? These were all questions which were asked frequently in the run-up to the jubilee edition of 2009 and no one had a definite answer. Now, however, we can say with confidence: "The crisis has not affected Busworld Kortrijk."
MORE STANDS
Despite the often gloomy predictions, the stands for Busworld Kortrijk 2009 were sold out just as quickly as for the previous editions. Only one major bus builder dropped out, but this vacancy was soon filled. Some exhibitors did opt for smaller surface areas, but this gave Busworld the opportunity to shorten the long waiting list of potential exhibitors. Apart from the record number of exhibitors, this also resulted in a wider range in terms of quality. Busworld 2009 attracted 390 exhibitors, including 70 bus builders, from 34 different countries.
MORE VISITORS
The number of visitors also recorded an upward trend. The counter finally stopped at 28,127 visitors from 118 countries. This represented an increase of about 2,000 visitors in comparison with the previous edition. At the same time, whilst the number of visitors rose, so too did the quality of the visitors. Clients showed a lot of interest in the products and bus builders reported masses of purchases and sales.
MORE INNOVATIONS
Busworld 2009 was also the trade fair with more innovations than ever before. Most bus builders presented mainly technological innovations which were not visible to the naked eye, but are so crucial to the safety of drivers and passengers. Busworld 2009 was privileged to witness the launch of the brand new touring coach Scania Touring, a collaboration with the Chinese company Higer. Temsa put up front its new hybrid city bus Avenue. VDL and Otokar displayed their Grand Kortrijk Awards for Innovation and Midi-coach respectively. At the Mercedes-Benz and Setra stand, the display cabinet was full with the trophies for the Grand Award Kortrijk Coach for the Setra 416 GT-HD, and the Grand Award Kortrijk Bus for the Citaro Low Entry. The Grand Kortrijk Environment Award went to the Van Hool A330FC hybrid bus with a fuel cell. The honorary title of Bus Builder of the Year 2009 was awarded to Filip Van Hool and Samuel Zhu from Kinglong became Bus Builer of the Year 2010.
MORE PRODUCT NEWS
Busworld 2009 saw this trade fair once again live up to its reputation as the leading bus exhibition with the presentation of lots of product news. For example, There was a Chinese electrical city bus with a travel capacity of 200 kilometres, according to the maker. The Crafter minibus from Feldman was a clever idea, with its deeper luggage compartment at the back. Another eyecatcher in this category was the idea of Vossloh Kiepe to charge batteries of electrically-powered vehicles between times by means of induction. Bosch Rexroth presented the diesel hybrid drive line as an alternative to the diesel-electric hybrid, whilst the Swedish company Vehtec presented its new Veheat aluminium design heating for buses.
MORE TRADE FAIRS ABROAD
The success of Busworld 2009 is reflected in the coming international Busworlds in Turkey (25-28 March 2010), China (6-8 May 2010), and
Russia (30 June-2 July 2010). The interest in these events is huge. Registrations are flowing in already.
Finally, despite the worldwide recession, 2009 has been a top year for Busworld. 2010 promises to be just as
successful. Busworld Kortrijk 2011 also promises to be a huge success!
