05.11.2018

Apex returns to Maastricht

The Apex exhibition will return to Maastricht, the Netherlands in June 2020, following two outings in Amsterdam.

The 2020 event will be the 10th Apex, with the first having been held in Maastricht in 1996. The show returns to the MECC exhibition and convention centre in the city on the 9th to the 11th June 2020, following a revamp of the facility, which includes more outside space. Once again it will also run alongside the International Rental Exhibition (IRE).

Tony Kenter, managing director of the organiser IPI, said: “There is something very appropriate about returning to Maastricht for the tenth APEX. The first seven editions were held there and it is the city where the show established its place in the industry. The recent investment in the venue, with the expanded outside area in front of the entrance, will also make it a better venue for exhibitors and visitors alike.”

“A return to the Amsterdam RAI in 2020 was not possible on dates that would have been suitable or acceptable for the industry. For that reason, APEX will return to its roots in Maastricht, but now with added benefits.”

Vertikal Comment

This is an interesting one and will almost certainly be welcomed by some exhibitors while others will be disappointed. The move to Amsterdam was encouraged by a few exhibitors that felt a better more accessible location – in terms of air travel – would rejuvenate the event, while providing more outdoor space.

Others preferred the more intimate and attractive nature of Maastricht, not to mention its lower costs and – if you were driving – easier access. The European Rental Association the joint sponsors of the International Rental Exhibition were also a factor, preferring a more glamorous venue closer to a major airport, given the wide geographic spread of its members.

Even for those who were keen to move APEX 2014 will have to admit that Amsterdam really did not deliver as well as was hoped. While extremely well organised, the event is a small one for the massive glitzy RAI centre. And expensive in terms of hotels, parking, and space.

A revamped exhibition centre and a return to a venue that better fits the show within a city that has a great deal to offer where the industry can better socialise will surely appeal to the majority of exhibitors and visitors? For what it is worth the move gets our vote.