Royal Jaarbeurs: the friendly, sustainable and innovative host for all of the Netherlands. A place where you meet, inspire, learn and grow. We'd love to tell you what's going on at Royal Jaarbeurs and the way we do things. How? By getting to know our most valuable asset: our people. Nicole van Leeuwen is Senior Account Manager of the TechniShow trade fair and is responsible for sales from start to finish. We put on our construction helmet and walk onto the exhibition floor with Nicole as she tells us how she creates a village from a construction drawing.
Nicole (56) started at Jaarbeurs in 2001 after Jaarbeurs took over Reed Exhibitions. "I was working for the 'Nursing days' project at the time and I did everything for that. From making sales plans to designing brochures. At some point, I became more aware of the fact that I now work at Jaarbeurs and I can and want to do much bigger than just project 'Nursing days'. I had a hunch, I want 'something in the industry'. So for years I worked for Logistica and ESEF Maakindustrie." Between 2014 and 2021, Nicole was away for seven years, focusing on other work. In late 2020, she got a call from a former colleague asking her to help organise the installation trade fair VSK. When Nicole took the job, she knew what she had missed so much all this time. So it was no surprise that she eventually returned to the world of fairs and events. "After VSK, my manager presented me with a choice: VSK or TechniShow. I went for TechniShow, an industrial trade fair in the field of metalworking. That's where the biggest sales challenges lie for me."
"Sales is where my heart is. I don't want anything else."
For Nicole, the construction of the fair is the moment when her vision comes to life, where the so-called CAT drawings transform into reality. "It starts in the preparations with a drawing and ends in a village, and each fair hall has its own identity. That together forms a chain," Nicole explains. This approach is the common thread in the construction of TechniShow. Each exhibition hall is carefully arranged, paying attention to the specific needs of our exhibitors and visitors. It is a complex puzzle in which Nicole and the team put the right elements in place to deliver the best experience.
"It starts with a drawing and ends in a village."
Exhibitors see TechniShow as a great opportunity to present their latest and most innovative machines to the public. Sales faces the challenge of putting together a diverse and exciting line-up of exhibitors representing the latest developments in the metal sector. A network and expertise enables the sales team to attract impressive exhibitors who are at the heart of TechniShow. While the exhibitors' stands and machines are in the right place, Nicole, as an enquirer and point of contact, is constantly on the move.
"The manufacturing industry is found everywhere. Once you see that, you don't let it go." And Nicole doesn't let go of that either. That was evident at the last edition, where nearly 30,000 enthusiasts from the manufacturing industry came together. As sales manager, Nicole and the team played a crucial role in creating this fantastic edition. "I am sales. I am Jaarbeurs". All her heart is in her work. All exhibitors and visitors enjoyed that for four days. "We already have the concepts ready for the next edition and even exhibitors who have already passed on their preferred position. The 2024 TechniShow was truly a gift."
"This TechniShow was really a gift."
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