International Exhibition's Attendance Reflects Saturated Equipment Markets
Recent economic fallout in equipment markets has drifted from North America into Europe, according to bargain hunters and equipment manufacturer representatives who made a trek to Paris for Intermat 2003, touted as the world's largest heavy equipment show of the year.
The May 13-17, 320,000-square-meter exhibition got off to a quieter start than usual, as corporate financial concerns, a pervasive glut of new and used machinery on the market, continued international conflict and the SARS epidemic forced many firms to stay at home. Likewise, Intermat officials lost key speakers for a conference on construction in China, forcing cancellation of the talk. And as if adding insult to injury, Parisian Metro workers demanding a better pension plan coordinated city-wide mass-transit strikes throughout the week, leaving thousands of show attendees with few transportation options to and from the convention center located several miles outside the city.