Ayri11, a different brokerage event for the sector of Robotics

Mataró TecnoCampus offered a dynamic space where had place the stands of the nine participating companies, the five professional journals sponsor - which included Interempresas- and a multimedia auditorium with capacity for 350 people in a single surface.

Ayri11 has been an innovative idea that captured the interest of all its participants to deepen the exchange of professional experiences. The visitors stressed the positive experience of the workshops in small groups facilitated a proximity to the exhibiting companies were optimal for networking.

Teaching content of courses and conferences

Solutions for mechatronic, integrated vision simulation movements of robotic stations, handling of robots at the user level, automation with angular movements, choice of adequate equipment, generic motion control solutions pick & place, etc.

Note also that participants got a certificate in each course has done.

At the same time, the Auditorium taught conferences on: solutions of manipulation, automation integrated into the environment of intelligent robots, robotics, fundamental concepts for energy saving, robots and machine tool, developments in the enlargement of the axes in industrial robotics, x-stream automation, new to the industry of the pallets, multiple solutions in software to meet the diverse needs of robotization.

In figures...

Ayri11 was attended by a total of 125 visitors, mostly coming from Catalan companies. However, note also the assistance of professionals from the Basque country, Madrid and Levante, as well as from other communities such as Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Castile, Galicia and even from Portugal.

After Ayri11 its organizers conducted a small survey to meet their valuation:

• General interest in the Conference: 8
• Quality of speakers and companies: 8
• He would return to participate next time?: 9

Interview to Javier García Gerpe, president of Ayri11

What motivated to the creation of Ayri11?

Looked for something practical, of costs very reduced, that went more than some days of open doors of an alone company and more than a day of internal training. Realised/Realized with some determinate companies (initially think in 5-6 companies and at the end were 9), with a very limited time and with a very bounded subject, in an alone day. This factor time has supposed even that some of the participants complained ‘' because the minicursos seemed them too short, what can carries me to think that the information was very interesting. So We Are posing us lengthen perhaps 15 minutes more these minicursos.

And in spite of that all the assessments received have been of excellent, yes see some potential of improvement. No regarding the format and the length, that consider it almost inmejorable.

Which differences there is with regard to other events?

An industrial fair, like the EMO of Hannover, is something necessary and that will keep on being it. The aim of the companies is to sell his corporate image and present his products, prototypes and, according to the result of this presentation to continue with his development... And this is not sustituible. I am not at all in accordance with the one who thinks that the fairs will go disappearing, I think that is totally necessary. Perhaps in lower quantity of which have, and perhaps the elder hándicap of the national fairs, the challenge with which will have to struggle more is the economic ease to travel; nowadays it costs the same to buy a flight to Hannover or Munich that to Madrid or Bilbao. If the employer awards 2-3 days to his employee to visit a fair, perhaps this will prefer to visit a foreign country before that remain in Spain. So the national fairs will have to look for an appeal.

In this sense yes can have problems of continuity but the one who question of general way the industrial fairs think that makes a mistake. They will keep on being important. The aim to relate with customers, those that more better, will be able to go on doing of ideal form in these industrial fairs. Something totally different to the aim of the days Ayri11. We look for groups reduced, to give technical training, no commercial, look for the networking, something impossible to do in a fair in that they attend to 400 visitors in a week, present applications, solutions. Like manufacturers, each one in his sector, have of some way the opportunity to contribute something to didactic level. Not selling the product but show them what can do with him. The value added of our product is to improve in that or another application the performance of the factory of the final customer. What does not have felt on a large scale.

And is not a commercial subject. Ayri11 will not make money with his events: give technical courses during an hour to 5 people, to the price of 40 euros by participant, gives to cover expenses.

After this first experience, what it is necessary to improve?

Mainly the conferences. In these yes have seen a potential of improvement for the next editions. Although they were of technical type, with a presentation of the corporate identity and the history of the company, but perhaps was missing contained of application. The application is what interests us, no the content of the catalogue, for this are the industrial fairs.

To practical level gives a course on the subject that have chosen each company, that does not have why be related with the application crashes that they consider that it is worth it to show in the zone of conferences. But in definite, have had 90% of good presentations, with this margin of improvement, and 100% of minicursos practical that have known to present the subject of the title chosen, with a muestrario very elaborated and with technicians very prepared presenting them.

And now, what?

As the true is that this success demands us to pose us new editions. So in September or October want to summon a meeting with the nine participants and the six candidates that remained went to see how convert this concept in an annual event or bianual. It is for deciding, although I consider that it is more convenient that was bianual, with a next edition in 2013, but it is necessary to decide it taking into account all the opinions that expose in said meeting.

But the concept goes through to standardise/standardize the stands, where realise/realize the minicursos, give an approach clearly application-solution to the conferences and keep very reduced the number of visitors. We want to give training and this is not possible in big groups. It is necessary to limit the assistance to each minicursos to 10 people to end to boost the networking, the exchange of opinions and experiences, something very positive for the visitor and the educational.

It is not what we expected, but we are getting offers from Fairgrounds to include this format in industrial fairs. Outside, but inside the compound and at the same time. With a room to celebrate an Ayri, counting also the rooms of the exhibition space for conferences. For example, a manufacturer of a particular machine or a particular robot, will continue presenting your company and products at the fair, but you may want to show a robot or a specific device in a small booth in an attached spacecraft in which is is giving training. A formation which may well be future professionals or working professionals, which have in fact been 90 per cent of the participants in Ayri11.

How will Ayri11 attendees chose?

They were confirmed by order of entry and the invitations were made through the database provided by Ayri11. In addition, the participating companies themselves could invite customers. Most have been professionals in the sector and, in smaller amounts, University professors, who are interested in the titles of courses. And that is an outstanding issue of this Conference that before holding the minicourses, companies already knew who I went to visit, something that usually does not happen at the industrial fairs in great supply. In this event, all exhibitors who, and what time, visited their installations in Tecnocampus. This allowed them to focus, incorporating changes in the program, always within the chosen topics.

We saw at Ayri exposing to manufacturers in the same sector. In fact, competitors among themselves... How was conceived the idea of exposing together?

The events in which normally companies participate, whether seminars in house clients or industrial fairs, never allow you to specify the advantages of an article. This possibility, the stress of an industrial fair, or in the commercial context such as the client home visit, does not exist. Find both to make a visit teaching about what can offer the company only was possible, until now, do it in the format of open doors. If you would offer to a client come to your facility to talk about your products, it is difficult to feel sufficiently attracted to come over and over again. However, if each time that call you will show you, or accompanied your presentation with solutions and courses of other manufacturers in the same sector, hit a perfect cocktail, and missing and has hollow between the other methods of marketing. But I stress that it does not replace any industrial fair or other initiatives. This is something that must live with what we know so far.