The winter edition of Switzerland’s trade show Swisspo in Zurich has been put on hold until further notice. In spite of a good winter season in the country, the organizers of the event, the organizations ASMAS for retailers and SPAF for vendors, agreed that a decline in the winter sports business could not be averted.
At this year's edition a few weeks ago, the number of exhibitors remained stable at 175 compared with 180 in 2007, but the number of visitors dropped significantly from about 6,000 to around 3,900 this year. The management of Swisspo is ready to discuss further steps with the vendors to check their demands in regard of a trade show.
A few years ago, the Swiss market suffered the loss of Bespo, the Berne-based summer show that was eventually taken over by Swisspo. The weakness of the national trade shows is considered to be a result of the relatively efficient system of order centers and local distributors, which makes a big show in a small but mature and well-organized market impractical.
