StocExpo Fills Extra Hall Exhibitors Flock to be Part of the Show

Exhibitors flocked to be part of StocExpo Antwerp (Belgium) in March, with 169 companies from 28 countries exhibiting at the show. Indeed, demand was such that StocExpo exhibitors filled an additional hall at the Antwerp Expo, compared with the last time the event was held in the venue.

The Antwerp show saw a boost in visitors too with 91% more attending, compared with the previous StocExpo Antwerp. Thousands of senior decision makers, from major names such as Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Akzo Nobel, Chevron, Q8 Oils, Saudi Aramco, Total and Statoil ASA, attended the rapidly expanding event for Europe’s terminal operators, oil companies, traders and regulators.

Show visitor, Hasan Varsay, Operations Manager at Delta Rubis, the largest terminal in Turkey, says: “We got a chance to meet many new suppliers, manufacturers, facility managers and there was great networking with access to new developments and systems.”

He was not alone in finding it an invaluable opportunity to catch up with the very latest tank storage developments. According to independent research on behalf of the organisers, 85% of visitors rated their experience at the event as good or excellent, 27% of attendees placed an order at the show and a further 44% will do so as a result of StocExpo.

There was huge interest in the three-day conference which sits at the heart of StocExpo. This featured talks by 25 industry experts drawn from around the world. They explored cutting edge industry issues, macroeconomic trends and latest technologies.

Highlights of the programme included: Chris Hunt, Director General of UKPIA; Hugo Hughes, founder of Toptank Terminal Optimisation; Alan Gelder, Head of Oils Research at Wood Mackenzie; Henry Persson, Project Manager at SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden; and John Reynolds, Director at Fire Safety Training.

For the second year in a row, an impressive 100% of attendees - including Christopher Amstutz, Director, Oil & Gas Industry Solutions at Terminal Solutions - rated the quality of speakers as good or excellent: “There was a good mix of presentations and quality of presenters. StocExpo provided a very good forum for keeping up with the trends, learning about the latest technologies and most importantly networking with my peers.”

Ann Marie Brown, Product Marketing Manager at Tata Steel Energy & Power agrees: “There were some brilliant conference presentations.”

With such strong feedback, a massive 70% of exhibitors have already rebooked for StocExpo 2014. Chris Hastings, Petroleum Marketing Specialist at Philadelphia Mixing Solutions Ltd is among the many exhibitors planning to return: "StocExpo once again exceeded our expectations. We’re looking forward to 2014 - Rotterdam here we come!"

Didier BIZEC, Export Manager at SATAM, another returning exhibitor, is equally enthusiastic. He believes the scale and scope of the show is making it a critical part of the business calendar: “StocExpo allows customers to meet all the suppliers they need, everyone from A to Z, in one place.”

Vera van Dinther, Sales & Marketing Assistant at J. de Jonge Flowsystems adds: “StocExpo is not to be missed. We’re already looking forward to next year.”

Matt Benyon, Managing Director of StocExpo, concludes: “It’s extraordinary to see a show floor expand at this rate. Businesses clearly don’t want to miss out on the buzz that’s building up around StocExpo. It’s fast becoming the event where Europe’s terminal operators, oil companies, traders, regulators and equipment suppliers gather and do business – everyone wants to be there.”