Marketing Award

The 2009 UFI Marketing Trophy has been awarded to Messe Frankfurt, Germany, for its winning Insider programme, recognized by UFI as the “Best Marketing Activity of the Year”. The UFI Trophy will be awarded by Katharina Hamma, Chair of the UFI Marketing Committee and John Shaw, UFI President to Messe Frankfurt’s Chairman of the Board, Michael von Zitzewitz and Director of Visitor Marketing, Ania-Virginia Kleinbichler, at the 76th UFI Congress in Zagreb on October 29. Agfa Graphics (Germany) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (China) were recognized as finalists for their entries. This annual UFI marketing competition, open to UFI members and non-members, attracted entries from exhibition organizers around the world.

The winning Messe Frankfurt entry highlighted the creative and innovative application of their Insider Programme during the Paperworld tradefair. Insider Programme objectives were twofold: to strengthen exhibitor relations and to prevent visitor movement by increasing loyalty among the smaller-sized retailers. Kleinbichler explained that, “using a variety of incentives for visitor motivation, Messe Frankfurt developed a successful benefit programme targeted to ensure customer retention and to attract exhibitor’s attention to the special retailers.” Visitor benefits included free fair access and public transport, use of an “Insider-Lounge”, a welcome package and voucher booklet, and personal on-site contacts. With a 98% satisfaction rate among the 3,000 participants in the Printworld Insider pilot programme, Messe Frankfurt is looking forward to building on the Insider synergy for a variety of target groups at other exhibition events. Heimtextil Insider will be the next Messe Frankfurt tradefair to benefit from the Insider programme.

Katharina Hamma, Chair of the UFI Marketing Committee, congratulated Messe Frankfurt saying, “UFI is proud to recognize the Insider Programme developed by Messe Frankfurt. It’s through innovative marketing efforts like this that exhibition organisers, exhibitors and visitors alike benefit from the “special” relations encouraged by this unique face-to-face marketing media.”