Vapouround magazine Issue 14 | Page 143

To our surprise there wasn ’ t the usual mix of old faithfuls - in fact out of a possible 150 odd exhibitors we may have only recognised about ten . This was great news for us because it meant there was whole host of new people to meet and talk too , and a brand new market to penetrate . This is where the problems started . The noise was incredible . There were speakers all around the venue that can only be compared to full concert speakers and the MCs were literally screaming down the mic - they never let up . It was going to be hard enough anyway communicating with the vendors due to the language barrier , but this made it absolutely impossible - nobody could hear anything .
As well all of this noise , there then seemed to be a competition on who could play the loudest music . With 20 different tracks playing at the same time and two guys screaming into a microphone constantly , the noise and the atmosphere made this impossible to do any business . I ’ m not sure how anyone did anything . I will say that this seemed to be widely accepted and nobody seemed to mind - so maybe it ’ s a culture thing and this is what Indonesian people are used too , but for myself and my team we were totally out of our comfort zone and found the experience although fun , commercially a waste of time .
I mentioned the steady fl ow of people throughout the day , which was great to see , but I wondered if , like Malaysia , the event would stay open late , and more people would arrive . My fears were soon realised when at 9.30pm the show seemed to be just getting into full swing . The place was packed with possibly three or four times more visitors than had been there throughout the day . It was going to be another very long show and I soon realised why the doors didn ’ t open until midday .
Overall this seemed to be a good show and it was very successful in terms of visitors and atmosphere . The Indonesian people are both hospitable as well as very friendly , with a completely carefree attitude .
PROS - This seemed to be very well-organised , free for everyone to attend , very well attended , with new exhibitors , fantastic booths , innovating ideas , extensive show hours ( if that ’ s your thing ) and an amazing selection of hardware .
CONS - The show was far , far too loud with no idea on hygiene or health and safety . Young children seemed to be allowed to come into the event and there were a lot of rip off brands .
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