Stockholmsmässan starts the year strong after tough 2013

Stockholmsmässan has started the year on a positive note. After an intensive spring season, many exhibitors are noticing that the business climate has improved significantly and during the year no less than nine international congresses will be in town. This is a major change compared to 2013, which posted record-low earnings and a loss for the Nordic region's largest exhibition and congress center.

The past year was a tough one for Stockholmsmässan. The company had just emerged from the largest program of cut-backs in its history, and many exhibitors were reducing both the size of their stands and their purchases of auxiliary services due to the poor economy. On top of that, there were only three large international congresses, which, while making it possible to complete a major renovation of the main entrance to the facilities, still meant less income. Total sales for the year amounted to SEK 466 million, which is the lowest outcome in many years and, despite extensive cost savings, put 2013 at a loss after tax of SEK -18.8 million.

“Regardless of the state of the economy, consistent years are always better than inconsistent years at Stockholmsmässan, since several of our large fairs are only held every other year, which in itself made 2013 a weak year. That said, this year we had Nordbygg, which was larger than ever, and even GastroNord, which is being held this week, looks positive, and at the same time we had the great honor of hosting the Bocuse d’Or Europe chef championships. The boat industry usually gives a good indication of the economy and there we saw that the Stockholm International Boat Show had stabilized and even grown a little, and even the signals we received from the Formex exhibitors were encouraging. Our customers are demonstrating greater enthusiasm about the economy than in 2013, even if they are still cautious,” says CEO Patric Sjöberg.

The early spring is always intense with events one right after the other, and this year there have been even more meetings, congresses and fairs on the calendar.

“I usually brag that we are flexible at Stockholmsmässan and that we have a black belt in being able to rearrange the premises quickly, but this year we bordered on the impossible. We started with Formex, then Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair, Stockholm International Antiques Fair, Stockholm International Boat Show, the MAX industrial fair, Nordic Gardens and the Outdoor Home Improvement Fair, then big Nordbygg followed by the EAU congress with 10,000 delegates… all of this in a record-short period of time, and we have truly succeeded. Now we are looking forward to starting the congress season in earnest. Several of this year's nine congresses have already been held, but most of them, as usual, will be held during the late spring and summer when Stockholm is most beautiful,” says Patric Sjöberg.

To find out more, please contact:
Patric Sjöberg, CEO of Stockholmsmässan, patric.sjoberg@stockholmsmassan.se, +46 70 789 43 02
Helena Nilsson, Communications Director at Stockholmsmässan, helena.nilsson@stockholmsmassan.se, +46 70 789 44 19