Joint booths are often organized by associations, industry unions, or business clusters that want to ensure a larger group’s presence at key industry events. The Finnish Defence and Aerospace Industries (PIA ry) with its country pavilions, and the Concrete Park (Betonipuisto) by Betoniteollisuus ry, are great examples of the benefits of joint booths.
PIA ry represents Finland’s defence, aerospace, space, and security industries, and has repeatedly demonstrated the effectiveness of joint booths at international events. These booths offer Finnish companies added visibility and help balance out size differences among companies. Even smaller businesses can achieve significant exposure, which is crucial in the defence and security industry, where operations often cross borders.
“PIA and Messua have built successful and impressive joint booths over the years. These country pavilions have served all participating companies well, as well as representing Finland as a whole,” remarks Tuija Karanko, PIA’s Secretary General.
The over ten-year collaboration between PIA and Messua has been fruitful and cost-effective.
“Messua was chosen as our partner through a competitive process, which we periodically repeat to ensure cost efficiency. The partnership has gone smoothly, with Messua increasingly attuned to our needs. They handle all technical communications and setup, which significantly saves our association’s limited resources.”
Planning for the joint booth at Eurosatory in France in June 2024 began over a year in advance. PIA booked the booth space immediately after the previous event in 2022, as Eurosatory is a popular exhibition. This year marked the third collaboration with Messua for Eurosatory.
“A 300-square-meter pavilion showcased 16 Finnish companies. The design emphasized Finland and heavily featured PIA’s communication strategy slogans, like ‘No-nonsense Finland.’
In the middle of the pavilion, there was a shared lounge area with refreshments and seating for visitors. We also had an information desk with our staff on hand. Companies could book a minimum space of six square meters, with the largest space around twenty square meters. Messua worked hard to make everything fit, and the result was highly functional,” Karanko shares. An important element was the large meeting room in the pavilion, which proved to be very popular.
“One of the exhibitors noted that they had never seen such a meeting room at an exhibition before. It was spacious, presentable, and featured a fun sauna theme, which made it extra appealing. Two companies had their own smaller meeting rooms, but even their large delegations often used the shared meeting room.”
Concrete Park as a united front for the concrete industry
Concrete Park (Betonipuisto) is a joint booth for 18 companies in the concrete and construction industry at FinnBuild from October 8-10, 2024.
Product development and quality assurance in concrete are collaborative efforts that the industry’s companies drive forward together. Concrete Park exemplifies the best of industry collaboration, offering visitors new ideas, insights, and a blend of facts and experiences about concrete and the companies behind Concrete Park. The first Concrete Park appeared at FinnBuild in 2018, and this year marks the third time for the joint booth.
“For many companies, joint booths are a fantastic way to achieve more with less. There’s a synergy advantage in both quality and cost. Together, we can create a more impressive display and include more engaging elements and experiences, thanks to the shared effort. Concrete Park is also a branding initiative for the concrete industry,” says Jussi Mattila, CEO of Betoniteollisuus ry and project lead.
Mattila is pleased with how Messua Oy has handled everything from visual and spatial design for the booth to managing Concrete Park’s branding and website, which remains in use. Messua also managed pre- and post-event marketing and provided custom booth designs for individual companies’ stands.
“It’s also been important for us that Messua organized the logistics of the informational presentations, evening events with appropriate catering, and additional programming. Based on the past two events, I feel confident that the event has been executed as planned, and both the companies involved in Concrete Park and their guests have been satisfied. I’m sure we’ll see the same success at this year’s FinnBuild,” Mattila smiles.
Text: Tia Härkönen
Photos: Messua Oy / PIA ry / Betoniteollisuus ry