My friend the zimbabwean PH Boet van AArde is interested in taking a booth in the next hunting show in Dortmund .
Somenone have experience in this show?
Do you think is agood option for selling safaris or better other shows like Munich?
Also he need a contact there, maybe a passioned hunter.

I'd offer to help but I'm no longer on that continent. I had a booth on the Dortmund show for two years in a row, and visited it many many times. It is an enormously busy show. Some 70,000 people visit over the course of 6 days. The overall appearance and ambiance appears less organized than e.g. the SCI Convention, and this is probably due to the sheer volume of people.

With so many people, it will be clear that only a small percentage of that will be seriously interested in a hunting trip. Very many are just there to soak up the atmosphere, spend $100 on trinkets, and have a good time.

For outfitters, I've been told that it generally takes a few years before people starts to recognize your operation, and before you get some serious business. I wouldn't know, we lasted only two years. I've also been told that at a show like Munich there are more people with oney in their pockets, ready to spend it. I wouldn't know, I never visited Munich. It's always tough to say if a presence at a show will be successful. One thing is sure, if you are not present people will certainly not see you and book with you. But it might be part of a bigger campaign, with some ads in well-chosen magazine, so you ge some name recognition going, preferably already before the show, announcing your presence and your booth number, etc.

Frans

I agree pretty much with Frans.

We attend every year and wouldn't consider otherwise.

Personally, I consider it the best German Show, due to it's length and the sheer mass of public attendance. If you want to entice the Tuetonic Nimrod there is no other Show which will offer you more visibility.

Frans' advice on advertisement in the German hunting press prior to the show would be highly advisable in my opinion also.

Also we have noticed an dramatic increase in French, Belgian & Dutch attendance in the past several years. For this you will require both English & German literature and EXTREMELY helpful would be some German language capability.

While most folks don't book directly, they obtain literature, assess your professionalism, your presentation, you personally and take brochures & price lists home and agonize over them. The ultimate decision is made long afterwards and the word of mouth from every INTERESTED attendee spills well over into their friends, neighborhoods, relatives, hunting clubs and associates, etc. Also prepare a separate reference list.

If either you or Boet would like to PM me, please feel free to do so.

Ah yes, I forgot about the language. I speak German, and it would help if you had somebody in your booth who did.

Frans

This year 2007 will be our 3rd appearance at Dortmund, to be honest, so far it would appear not worth it. However my German friends tell me that I should persist as this is the German way, you need to establish your presence.
There are very tidy German interpreteurs available at 170 euro per day. Who knows some of them may even be interested in hunting.....
There is certainly a mass of people attending, but my observationis that many are "Lookers" and not serious purchasers of hunts. My opinion is not a lot of wealthy people, just joe public having a look.
Dortmund is also not just about hunting trips..Dogs, 4WD etc etc....
Maybe we'll see you there.

Hi Mario,
what about EXA? Why not?
In which period is Dortmund Fair?

Thanks Guys.
All the informations will be sent to Mr. Van Aarde.
he dont look Exa because I'm a pretty good contact for him in Italy.
He look for Dortmund because they said ther'are very few outfitters from Zimbabwe there.

Steve,

Cannot comment on EXA.

The Dortmund Show is always the last week of January, perhaps into the first couple of days into February.

Mario,

You are correct in that the vast majority of African Outfitters in Dortmund are offfering the German Hunter Plains Game opportunities to locations such as Namibia and RSA.