Post-Expo 2015 saw record numbers of international visitors pass through the doors of the Porte de Versailles in Paris this week. The event, which was held from September 29 to October 1, attracted more than 3,600 attendees who witnessed many product launches, high-level conference sessions, and live demonstrations of the latest solutions on the market.
Visitors attended from around 100 countries, including from the UK, Latvia, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, France, Singapore, USA, Australia, Austria, Turkey, the Philippines, Canada, Lebanon, China, Korea, India and Italy. They were able to experience first-hand the latest developments in sorting, automation, last mile delivery, digital solutions, eco-friendly vehicles, and retail technology.
Post-Expo managing director, Matthew Gunn, said, “Post-Expo 2015 has been extremely successful and the busiest-ever event. This year there have been lots of innovative solutions showcased in the exhibition with many product launches taking place every day. The new technologies showcased are evidence that there are some exciting changes taking place in the postal industry to bring it into the modern era.”
Product launches included Cleveron’s PackRobot automated parcel terminal, Pitney Bowes’ SendSuite Tracking Online cloud-based solution, VanRiet’s High Capacity Sliding Shoe Sorter, and Blue Solutions’ blueutility electric van.
Exhibitor Susanne Mueller, marketing and communications at Wincor Nixdorf, said, “We have been exhibiting at Post-Expo for a number of years and this year we are unveiling our new postal portfolio with three new solutions, our counter software, postal kiosk system and intelligent drop-box system. It’s been a great pleasure to be here this year and we’ve gathered a lot of interesting contacts. We are extremely happy with how the event has gone.”
Post-Expo also provided an ideal platform for networking. Thomas Wiesmann, sales director, Beumer Group, explained, “Post-Expo is a great place to network with others in the industry to learn about new trends, what is going on in the sector and how organizations are planning their next investments. It is like a big family here and we really enjoy the show.”
Conference sessions
Alongside the exhibition was the Post-Expo Conference, which saw speakers from some of the world’s leading postal operators and technology companies talk about their latest developments and projects. “The conference saw discussions on some of the biggest postal transformations being undertaken in the sector. The likes of La Poste, SingPost and Australia Post all revealed how they are working hard to build a sustainable future for their postal organizations,” added Gunn.
Topics covered in the conference included e-commerce delivery, meeting customer expectations, parcel handling, cross border delivery, direct marketing, revenue generation, post office transformation, sustainability, last mile delivery, automation and postal regulation. The conference also hosted e-tailers who looked at what they wanted from a delivery provider. Feelunique.com’s operations director, Craig Wheeler spoke on day two (September 30) of the event and highlighted that “their customers want trust and visibility when it comes to the delivery of their goods”.
Speaking at the event, visitor Poh Leong Kok, assistant director at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, said, “As the regulator for the Malaysian postal market, we have come to Post-Expo looking for solutions and innovative ideas that will improve the country’s postal sector, especially in terms of e-commerce. There is a long way to go in Malaysia but Post-Expo is providing a great insight into solutions for e-commerce, e-cash payment, electric vehicles and tracking systems. The conference also gives us a great opportunity to see what some of the leading posts worldwide are working on.”
The first day of Post-Expo (September 29) also hosted the Postal Technology International Awards ceremony. To read the full report from the awards ceremony, click here.
See below for more feedback from Post-Expo 2015
Exhibitor feedback
Sian Bennett, marketing communication manager, Ria Financial:
“This is our first Post-Expo that we have attended as an exhibitor, and we are really pleased with the overall show. We have met a lot of people that we wouldn’t otherwise have had contact with, so obviously an Expo like this is a great opportunity to do face-to-face networking and make some of those important contacts. And for us the posts are really important partner for us in the money transfer industry.”
Grant Miller, vice president, Global Product Management, Strategy and Solution Delivery, Document Messaging Technologies, Pitney Bowes:
“It is very interesting to see how much the show has changed since last year. It is a broader product portfolio set at this show than it was last year. I think there is much more clarity around the product sets that people are bringing. Exhibitors are demonstrating end-to-end solutions whereas before it was a single solution, so we have been very exciting at the client base coming through the show and the traffic has been good, so we have a lot of very interesting conversations.”
Andrew Ford, vice president, Marketing and Communications, Europe, Pitney Bowes:
“This year at Post-Expo we are seeing the physical and digital worlds really coming together. And this seems to be the key theme throughout the exhibition and conference. I saw a presentation at the conference by Philip Wahl, CEO, La Poste and the diversification and transformation there, really speaks to the solutions across both physical and digital that we bring to the market. It is a very exciting time and conference and event for us.”
Lawrence Holland, export area manager, Ligier Group:
“Ligier works with its partners to produce vehicles that are designed and developed specifically for the postal sector. With this in mind, Post-Expo is the only real exhibition that we can come to showcase our products. This year we’ve had a lot more interest and a lot of visits to our stand. We feel that the show has been very well organized and is very professional.”
Karsten Horn, business development manager, Inform:
“Inform has been exhibiting at Post-Expo for a long time. The type of people and companies that are interested in our software are at this show so it’s good opportunity to generate leads and new customers and hopefully create a bigger pipeline moving forward. It’s also good to network with existing customers. In addition, the conference is a great place to learn about current trends and find out what the posts are working on.”
Malou Linders, marketing communications manager, Vanderlande Industries
“Post-Expo is where our current customers and our potential customers are so it’s a great platform to present ourselves to them. It’s also a very good networking opportunity. Furthermore, we’ve really enjoyed winning the Postal Technology International Award for Supplier of Year; it’s been a very nice and unexpected surprise!”
Visitor feedback
Hakan Fehmi Gork, general coordinator, LST (Lojistik Servis Ticaret):
“Post-Expo is a great place to see what’s innovative in the postal sector and to compare products. We’re focused on looking at automated sorting solutions, as they are the heart of modern postal systems. We specifically came to see the Bombay Sorter from Vanderlande but there are plenty of others on show. The exhibitors are great because they also give you technical information for the different applications of each product.”
Olivier Bastien, strategic alliances manager, Hewlett-Packard (HP):
“HP’s involvement with postal technology is increasing and I am here to learn more about the environment and current market trends. We’re focusing on the hardware developers and ways of working with other companies to integrate our solutions, such as printers. All the main players are here at Post-Expo so it is the perfect event for us.”
Eric Kamerbeek, business manager, Balance Box, Thomas Regout International:
“The postal sector is a new market for us so we have come to Post-Expo to see if there are any other applications for our product. The show is very exciting as there are so many new technologies to see.”
Michael Ross, sales development manager EMEA, Allied Vision:
“We are at the show to investigate the use of cameras in the postal industry. The show is excellent for market research and holds huge potential for us.”
Nataliya Polyakova, director, Renome-Smart:
“Post-Expo provides a great networking opportunity to speak to companies about different solutions and how they can be integrated into different business models. We can look at industry developments and see where there may be a competitive edge or business opportunity. It’s also just a great place to get out and see what’s going on the industry.”
Peter Alfred-Adekeye, founder and CEO, Postify:
“Post-Expo is a great place to showcase our digital mailbox solution, which allows you to send digital communications up to 100Gb. As well as speaking at the conference, we’re also here to network with postal operators and to start partnerships to help them to get to the next stage of the digital revolution. The event is very well organized and attracts all the main players in the industry.”
Marino Franinovic, CEO, Enbekon:
“As a player in the green energy market, we are interested in speaking with posts about how they have used electric vehicles for deliveries. There are quite a few companies showcasing electric vehicles and we are interested in taking these technologies back to Croatia and the Adriatic region to develop green solutions for last mile delivery. The show is great compared to some others because it’s niche, meaning you have more time to speak with the people that matter.”
Delegate, Canada Post:
“Post-Expo provides the perfect platform to see new solutions suppliers have in terms of dealing with e-commerce and light unstable products. I’ve really appreciated being able to spend time with the suppliers and talking to them about their solutions. The conferences have been very interesting and have provided some great leads where we can go on and learn more. There are definitely a number of innovative solutions that we will be taking back with us.”
October 1, 2015