Equipotel: a sexagenarian and hospitable fair by nature itself

Source: Diário do Turismo .

In its 60th. edition, Equipotel expects to grow 50% with business roundtables, with 10% more brands and 20% new exhibitors
The fair, which will be held at Expo Center Norte, in São Paulo, between September 19th and 22nd, to the historic milestone of 60 years. The organization's proposal is to portray the scenario of transformations in technology, services and behavior that, in this long period, impacted the tourism, hotel and hospitality market

Under the mark of evolution, Equipotel completes six decades of existence and reiterates its status as one of the longest-running business fairs in the country. Daniel Pereira, manager of Equipotel attests that the commemorative edition – which will also include the presence of the Minister of Tourism , Celso Sabino – already surpasses the 2022 edition by 10% in the offer of products and services, totaling 350 brands. The event also registers the presence of 20% of new exhibitors, which promises to intensify the experience of the 22,000 visitors, linked to the hospitality and hotel industry, an audience expected to circulate through Expo Center Norte, during the four days of the fair. The expectation with the Business Round is an increase of 50%, compared to the year 2022.

Purchases at the event
But without risking predictions of figures, the director of the event stresses that, in the past, around R$ 120 million were booked in contracts, in the six months following the fair. “This issue is changing more and more and Equipotel is currently recognized as an “outlet” of products, services and solutions for hospitality”, he emphasizes. In his assessment, the fact that it takes place in September and brings together the main suppliers from all over the country is decisive, coinciding with the supply calendar for resorts, hotels, restaurants and communities for the high summer season (December holidays, Christmas and New Year). This synchronism, as Pereira observes, “has caused growth in the rate of purchases during the event itself”.

Business Roundtables and Areas of Interest
Traditionally because they concentrate a qualified public, with decision-making and purchasing power, Business Roundtables are Equipotel's high point. The director of the event considers that it enables an assertive connection between those who sell and those who wish to renew, generating a significant volume of business.

One of the characteristics of Equipotel 60 years highlighted by Pereira is the division into areas of interest for the sector. “The fair is divided into thematic circuits dedicated to specific sectors of the hotel industry, such as gastronomy, technology, sustainability, architecture, design, among others”, he emphasizes. Among the aspects that explain the permanence and strategic value of the fair, as a channel for commercial meetings of hotel and hospitality suppliers and buyers, according to the director of Equipotel, is the record of satisfaction of exhibitors and visitors. With the changes, some significant, that occurred with the economic activity in question, “the event has been the scene of historic transformations in technology, services and behavior that impacted the tourism market and the sector alike”, reiterates Pereira.

Ability to innovate and generate knowledge

With an eye on the rapid evolution of the segment dedicated to the art of hospitality, Equipotel 60 years focuses on innovation. Gastronomy gains even more strength in this edition, with a dedicated attraction filled with the exchange of technical and market knowledge, an initiative that has the support of SENAC.

And to keep hotel and hospitality entrepreneurs and professionals up-to-date, the content program is once again presented at the fair as a fundamental pillar, as stated by the director of Equipotel. “The curatorship is attentive to themes and specialists that respond to the main needs of the market”, assures Pereira. The idea is not just to be a hub for disseminating opportunities, based on the discussion of solutions, technologies and their applications, but also, with the set of lectures, to enable behavioral analysis of the sectors. Debates that reflect, for example, movements linked to new consumer profiles.

“Many companies even have Equipotel's content programming as a reference for updating their marketing and communication calendars”, complements Pereira.

With an extensive grid of content, which aims to enrich knowledge, Equipotel 60 years will discuss, among other subjects, on: governance and career - lecture promoted by WGH and content focused on technology and innovation, in charge of VEGA IT, within the Hospitality Arena.

In the 'Experience Motel' space, other themes that also converge to the improvement of the hotel industry gain the stage of debates such as: “Career, employment and entrepreneurship”; “Innovation to attract consumers” and “Energy efficiency for the hospitality sector and cost management”. 

Presence of the Minister of Tourism

The National Congress of Hotels – Conotel, organized by the Brazilian Association of the Hotel Industry (National ABIH) and held concurrently with Equipotel 60 years – will receive important names such as the Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino. On the occasion, the representative of the folder will speak, on the opportunity about the "Resignification of Brazilian Tourism".

New space, return to Expo Center Norte

Daniel Pereira toasts, along with the fair's 60th anniversary, the return to Expo Center Norte. “We returned with the event to the region that is a center of hospitality and, in this special edition of the 60th anniversary, this rescue makes even more sense”, he explains. According to him, in addition to the infrastructure, Expo Center Norte has a location that optimizes the visitor's journey in comparison with other exhibition centers. The wide hotel network in the surroundings allows you to receive those coming from outside São Paulo or even the country and also the ease of access, either to airports or bus terminals.

To meet the needs of exhibitors, Pereira says he is betting on the best logistical and structural experience, in addition to the expertise of RX, organizer and responsible for setting up the fair.

Sector scenario
In the perception of the Equipotel manager, the national market has been strengthening since the pandemic, when people, in addition to movement restrictions, also had an impact on their budgets. Added to the rise in the dollar and the Euro, when travel was allowed again, Brazilian destinations became more financially attractive options. “It is also necessary to credit the work and effort of associations, governments and sector strengthening centers in different regions, committed to turning the eyes of the Brazilian traveler to the best we have here”, he summarizes. In his opinion, this scenario is not only related to natural and cultural attractions, but to the advancement of the quality of services, an issue in which hospitality is included as a competitive differentiator.

Equipotel's slogan: “Hospitality by nature itself”, conceptualizes, in Pereira's interpretation, the desire to build a plural, diverse environment that represents the four corners of the country. to concentrate on the event brands, representatives, solutions and technologies from different Brazilian states.

New investments and the new consumer
With regard to new investments in hospitality in Brazil, the director of Equipotel identifies a moment of frank ascension. And about the developments being in line with consumer expectations, he adds: “today, the public has increasingly refined tools to choose destinations, accommodation and services, which is reflected in the new behavior and consumption profile, which has been demanding specific needs” , stresses. Concern with sustainability, in his analysis, is growing in general in society and is now a criterion for searching for packages. Because of this imperative, more traditional ventures try to adapt, while others emerge already formatted within the scope of these requirements, highlights Pereira.

However, Equipotel's director points out that service is still the backbone and the great tool for enchantment. “This is what we reinforce at Equipotel. The market is hot, full of opportunities and possibilities, but it is necessary to be prepared not only to attract guests and customers, but to enchant them to the point of evaluating the experience positively, but above all to repeat it and recommend it, Pereira considers.

By: Cecília Fazzini – special for Diário Do Turismo .