Success begins with meetings. Summary of the KRAKDENT® 2022 Trade Fair

A big comeback

3 days, 8688 visitors, 319 exhibitors from, e.g., Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Spain, India, South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Italy, nearly 200 hours of medical courses, trainings, lectures, the DENTAL SPAGHETTI International Congress with the participation of prominent specialists as part of the KRAKDENT-Edu programme, a number of attractions on the KRAKDENT MeetUp scene and an impressive number of novelties presented at the exhibition booths, all in an atmosphere of joy at the opportunity to meet again, ‘face to face’. ‘This is the kind of return we have been dreaming of and carefully preparing for. The trade fair passed in a blink of an eye, and for us the greatest reward is the satisfaction of exhibitors and visitors who, leaving EXPO Kraków, are asking about the next edition of this trade show,’ sums up Grażyna Grabowska, President of the Trade Fair in Kraków.

High attendance

A return after a break of almost three years is always fraught with risk, especially in the case of KRAKDENT® Trade Fair, which has set the bar high, as for years this has been considered to be the best event in the country. However, as the exhibitors emphasise, this time too, the organisers rose to the challenge and prepared the trade show at the highest level, defending its title as the biggest and most interesting dental meeting of the year. ‘I am surprised with the attendance at this year's edition of KRAKDENT®. A lot of people were interested in our stand and lectures, there were also many exhibitors, so I must admit that I do not see a significant difference between what it was before the pandemic and what it is now. I am positively surprised, and I think that we can honestly say that this fair was a success', says Olga Sasin from Pierre Fabre Medicament Poland. Martyna Jakubiak from ORIMED is of a similar opinion. ‘We still have a lot of clients, and we are glad that we can meet after so many years of absence. Moreover, we are glad that we could come back in such a great style. As you can see, we have a big exhibition booth, a high number of staff and many customers.’

Paweł Pełka from EUR-MED drew attention to the high attendance. ‘For us, KRAKDENT has always been an exceptionally good exhibition, which brings us remarkably high sales not only in the south-eastern region, but in the whole of Poland. The interest is enormous, especially as we are showing one of our new dental units here.’ The event was appreciated by both long-standing exhibitors and companies that have recently participated in KRAKDENT®. ‘We have many customers and an innovative offer. Kraków has always been one of the nicest destinations and finally, after two years, the event has returned,’ noted Marcin Kędra from CEREClab Company.

A firm handshake

The world around us is changing, but one thing remains the same – the need for direct contact with another human being. The KRAKDENT® trade fair is the best proof that meetings have enormous power. ‘I think that nothing can replace face-to-face relations. Of course, we have to review our activities and change them in response to a changing world and customers' expectations, but I believe that despite everything, a large proportion of our customers still want to meet us at this type of industry event, and the last three days have shown that,’ Olga Sasin points out. The online and offline worlds perfectly complement each other. As Martyna Jakubiak noted: ‘I think that trade fairs are the best place to show new products. Shopping is best when you can see and touch the goods. Online shopping is very convenient, and everyone wants to sell on the Internet, but I don't think it is possible to present an offer only online. There must be a place and time to see everything with your own eyes and check how it works. In this way, customers are not afraid to buy online, because they know exactly what they are choosing.’

As many exhibitors from the dental industry emphasised, it is especially important to be able to test a product before purchase. At the KRAKDENT® Trade Fair all visitors could learn in detail about the capabilities of the equipment on offer. ‘The specific nature of our tools is such that they need to be touched, seen, and chosen, and the trade fair makes it possible. We are at KRAKDENT® every year and despite a long break it is still excellent. There are many dentists, and we are satisfied with the result,’ says Małgorzata Ptak from Denmax. Leszek Jungiewicz from MEDITRANS is of a similar opinion: ‘The trade fair is an excellent place for us to present the equipment on offer. We are not always mobile enough to physically demonstrate larger devices, whereas at trade fairs we have such an opportunity. It is better to show such equipment in person, so that the customer can touch and try it out, which is not possible over the phone or the Internet. (...) At the trade fair we not only try to sell, but also show that we can also provide added value such as services, training, and maintenance.’ Tadeusz Telesz from GENT also shared his opinion, noting: ‘The bottom line after two and a half days is that dentists are not used to settling everything online and it turns out that direct contact, touching the equipment, and shaking hands are still especially important in our industry, hence such a good attendance at the KRAKDENT® Trade Fair.’

Highest Quality Medal Competition

On the first day of the fair, during a ceremonial banquet, the results of the Highest Quality Medal Competition were announced, the aim of which is to honour industry companies presenting innovative products. This year, the organisers received a record number of applications. Among the companies submitting products were those in the following categories: dental equipment, diagnostic and treatment apparatus and instruments; dental and clinical materials; materials used (or applied) in laboratories and dental technology laboratories; auxiliary materials, preparations and prophylactic devices; publishing, education, and software for dentistry. The winners were the companies: ACE DENTAL POLAND; GC EUROPE N.V.; IVOCLAR-VIVADENT POLSKA; BHZ ATOS M.M. Marek Zakrzewski; Pierre Fabre Oral Care, and Eminto. All the submitted products could be tested for three fair days. ‘As always, we came to the KRAKDENT® Trade Fair to show many new and innovative products. One of them is the Ivotion Discs, which won the Highest Quality Medal Competition. This is a great honour and opportunity for our new product. We will always try to participate in the KRAKDENT® Trade Fair and will never leave it, and we will provide many more new products to our wonderful customers,’ emphasises Edyta Kalinowska from IVOCLAR-VIVADENT POLSKA.

Competition for the most beautiful trade fair stand

How beautiful it is here! This was one of the most frequently repeated sentences during the three days of the trade show. The visitors could not hide their delight at this year's exhibitions. As usual during the fair, prizes were awarded in the competition for the most beautiful exhibition booth. The winners were: Olident, Natrodent Profesjonalne Systemy Protetyczne Spółka Jawna, and TAG Technology. Additionally, ACE DENTAL Poland was awarded by the vote of Magazyn Stomatologiczny. ‘First of all, our image is particularly important for our company. We pay a lot of attention to it, thanks to which our customers identify themselves with Olident. Secondly, it is important for us to gain new customers, and at the KRAKDENT® Trade Fair we have many of them, which makes me happy. That's what the fair is for,’ says Raimund Kuspiel from Olident, winner of first place in the competition.

DENTOHELP for Ukraine

Despite the great optimism, excitement, and joy of the stationary meetings, there was no lack of gestures and real aid activities for Ukrainian citizens at the trade show. Extremely popular was the annual DENTOHELP charity event, which this year, due to Russia's attack on Ukraine, started already a month before the trade fair. The gifts collected before and during the event were given to Ukrainian women and children staying in Kraków as well as sent directly to Ukraine. Thanks to the commitment of the exhibitors, thousands of toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss and disposable cups have been donated.

28^th International Dental Trade Fair KRAKDENT® goes down in history as the first such large meeting of the dental industry organised after two years of pandemic. The event demonstrated the power of meetings, emphasised the importance of direct relations and the value gained from face-to-face conversation.