Successful A+A despite COVID limitations

Many visitors wanted help with the introduction of the UKCA mark and other legislative changes.

The recent A+A safety and personal protective equipment (PPE) trade fair held in the German city of Düsseldorf proved to be an ideal opportunity for visitors to learn more about SATRA’s testing services. Held every two years, A+A is one of the most important shows for anyone interested in safety footwear or PPE, and is probably the largest of its kind in the world.

Health and safety was paramount for the event’s exhibitors and delegates alike. With COVID-19 infection still rife in many parts of the world, everyone entering the Messe Düsseldorf complex was required to show a valid vaccination certificate at the door and wear a mask when reasonable to do so.      

The show was considerably smaller than in past editions and footfall was also down. Fewer attendees arrived from long-haul distances, with a higher proportion registering from European countries. However, the quality of the visitors’ enquiries compensated for the lower numbers attending.

"The drop in the number of attendees ensured that everyone who took the time to approach members of our team and engage them in conversation was serious about wanting to know more about how we can help," remarked SATRA divisional manager Simon Courtney. "We had more in-depth conversations with delegates – the issues most people asked about were the introduction of the UKCA mark and other legislative changes. We deliberately kept the stand as minimalistic as possible this year, and this worked well. Rather than displaying actual test equipment as we have done in previous years or even having literature to hand out, we answered all questions at length and made use of a rolling video highlighting relevant PPE assessment available from SATRA."

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 4 of the November 2021 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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