This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Entrevista a Javier Herrera, Director de Marketing de Cecofersa

"ExpoCecofersa Virtual facilitates contact between partners and suppliers through an exclusive web space"

Interview with Javier Herrera, Marketing Director, Cecofersa

Anna Pueyo21/10/2008

October 21, 2008

Now Cecofersa, Central procurement and professional services, will hold its Expocecofersa pageant every two years, i.e., odd-numbered years, and in even-numbered years will be a virtual room that was born as an alternative to the Presential exhibition at Ifema. Interempresas hardware has been in contact with Javier Herrera, Marketing Director, Cecofersa, to know all about this new way to celebrate a fair.

What exactly is ExpoCecofersa Virtual?

ExpoCecofersa is a trade fair for partners and certified suppliers of the Central of shopping Cecofersa. After the disappointment with the results of numerous visits to the traditional fairs Cecofersa thought in setting up an event to 'do business of truth', and thus was born ExpoCecofersa, an innovative exhibition format 'in reverse' where visitors are the sellers.

The Presential exhibition developed during 5 editions in Ifema has resulted in his last examination a total of 6,000 requests for meeting with a turnover of EUR 62 million. These important data of influx and billing, give a clear idea of the significant volume of business that ExpoCecofersa comes to move during the dates of their term.

ExpoCecofersa Virtual is born as an alternative to the Presential fair at Ifema, that does not restrict the times of appointments, which opens the possibility to participate to all suppliers, which eliminates the costs of transport and stays of all participants and facilitates the contact between partners and suppliers through an exclusive web space.

What are the reasons for which it was decided to make a virtual fair?

In order to improve and secure the future strategy of ExpoCecofersa, the central purchasing conducted among all participants, suppliers and partners more than a hundred of surveys during the first two days, which unveiled major assessments of partners and suppliers about the event.

He stressed that the overall assessment of ExpoCecofersa as a means to promote business between the two is conceptuó as 'good' for 50 percent of partners and 'very good' for 49 per cent. With regard to the suppliers a 77 per cent assessed as good fair and 22 per cent as 'very good'.

The average number of events attended by vendors and partners during the fair has been 50 citations.

With respect to the usual duration of the fair a 64 per cent of partners were satisfied and 25 per cent stated that with two days of the fair would be enough.

With respect to suppliers, 80 percent was satisfied with the current duration of the fair.

With regard to the future periodicity of ExpoCecofersa, preference of 85 per cent of partners and 77 per cent of suppliers was aimed at a face-to-face trade fair at Ifema alternating even-numbered years with a virtual fair odd-numbered years and more than 90 percent said to participate in future editions.

Based on these data and as reported in the event of end of 2007 at Ifema fair, ExpoCecofersa will be held alternatively in a virtual way age peers and on-site at Ifema odd-numbered years.

Do you think that you will have more benefits? Why?

ExpoCecofersa Virtual will not have time limitation on appointments and scheduled meetings, open to all suppliers, which partners can analyze the different offers for the duration of the fair without limits or time, at the time that they want and where they wantalso eliminate the costs of transport and stays a Presential fair involved and as a result will be more profitable to all participants.

As this is the first time makes this type of fair, do be carried out any special preparation to partners and suppliers to participate in this fair? And some test or simulation to see how it works? If so, what were the results of this test?

In the same way that the first edition of ExpoCecofersa at Ifema was a success for all parties concerned based on the work and experience of Cecofersa, this first Virtual Edition of the fair is supported again on a deep work of the team of the central purchasing.

After designing the operability and build the web site, at the end of May was a test of functionality with ten of the leading providers of the central (Aghasa Turis, Acorn, Bosch, Germans Boada, Goizper, Henkel, tools of Amorebieta, Juba, Karcher and Tesa).

The operation has been a success for our suppliers and partners. It must be borne in mind that Cecofersa has provided staff and technical means to track detailed the total development of the fair, introducing and updating documentation, analyzing statistical data, correcting deviations and establishing contact phone daily with all its partners.

"Virtual ExpoCecofersa will have no time limit on appointments and scheduled meetings and also eliminate the costs of transport and stays a person fair entails"

Do you think that this kind of show will be successful unless there is a direct interaction of you to you?

The success of ExpoCecofersa is really in their own 'fair upside down' concept.

The fair was held in 5 editions in Ifema and has managed more than their expectations thanks to suppliers and partners, be they who have opined that it would be desirable to switch ExpoCecofersa a virtual year and another person.

Contact live is very important, also in ExpoCecofersa the management teams of providers take direct contact with entrepreneurs associated with Cecofersa that are those who make decisions, and that the supplier is extremely important, as they concentrate on the same site to a very large number of clients with decision making capacity.

At the same time, must also be borne in mind that major supplier regularly visit our partners and are in contact with them through its network of sales.

As you can see the contact it is not lost. Why make the fair virtually Alternatively even-numbered years, encourages the managerial relationship between suppliers and partners with a sufficient time margin, greatly reducing further expenditure.

What has the response of the partners to this new initiative been?

At the Presential exhibition, the partner receives offers of providers in a different way, in different formats and almost 'block', has a time that becomes short to analyse the information, has a specific period to receive supplier and close businessyou have to mobilize their staff during those days and moved from different parts of Spain to Madrid to attend the fair.

In this virtual Edition, you will receive offers that you analyze when you want to, it will be organized each offer provider in identical formats that are compatible with their software management, you don't have to go to any site, it will work from 'House', etc.

It is clear that in these circumstances, the partners see the advantages of alternately hold the fair of virtual and Presential form.

Do you know what confirmed companies who will participate?

All the suppliers approved to Cecofersa have the opportunity to participate in Expocecofersa 2008.

"Make the fair virtually Alternatively even-numbered years encourages the managerial relationship between suppliers and partners with a sufficient time margin, greatly reducing further expenditure"

Why is it convenient to toggle ExpoCecofersa a virtual year and another person?

As discussed previously, ExpoCecofersa Virtual was born as a result of the current reality of the sector. There is saturation of a need to reduce the costs of our partners and suppliers, without losing the turnover generated in the previous editions of the fair and exhibition events.

Toggle the Presential exhibition at Ifema odd-numbered years with the virtual web space private even-numbered years is a solution, we will continue taking direct contact between partners and suppliers every two years, they will decrease the costs and revenues will be maintained.