30th edition of the IT trade fair topsoft ended

On June 22/23, 2022, the IT trade fair topsoft opened its doors again after a two-year Corona break. In the Umwelt Arena Spreitenbach, providers, users and experts were able to meet live and exchange information about the latest trends in digitalization. "After the long interruption, it feels really good to hold an event like this," said exhibition manager Cyrill Schmid in the run-up to the fair. Indeed, many exhibitors sounded the same horn and emphasized how important personal encounters with customers are. However, the subjective impression on site was somewhat different: The number of visitors seemed sparser than before. This was also confirmed in discussions with various exhibitors. They would have liked to see more activity. But the quality of the (few) discussions had been high. "We have the prospect of at least one concrete project. If this can be realized, our presence at the trade fair has already been worthwhile," said Urs Amrein, Marketing Manager at Opacc, one of the largest exhibitors this year.

Information potential poorly exploited

The Umwelt Arena Schweiz provided an attractive and up-to-date setting for this year's IT trade fair. Visitors encountered a full program under the motto "Digitalization. Live. Concrete." From comprehensive business solutions to special applications for marketing, finance, production or logistics, many areas were thematically covered. The accompanying workshops and presentations conveyed practical knowledge on topics such as process automation, e-commerce, social media, online marketing and more. The topic of data protection met with particularly great interest with a presentation by Nicole Beranek Zanon, partner at Härting Rechtsanwälte. In comparison, the audience for other presentations was rather thin. Exhibition manager Cyrill Schmid was visibly disappointed: "I find it frustrating that people book a ticket and then don't show up. It's a shame, really, because it's becoming increasingly rare to find so much IT knowledge gathered in one place at such favorable conditions.

topsoft trade fair, for the thirtieth time

Almost somewhat lost in the shadows was the fact that the IT trade fair topsoft was already taking place for the 30th time. It has thus outlived all other similar IT events at home and abroad. Cyrill Schmid makes no secret of the recipe for success: "We focus on the needs of the suppliers and place the dialog with the users at the center. The trade show is embedded in our year-round information network of live events, social media, print and online channels." The anniversary was then celebrated in a dignified manner at the trade show aperitif on June 22.

And what's next? The organizers said that the topsoft IT trade fair needed further conceptual development, despite the aforementioned recipe for success. It is not clear in which direction this should go. But there are plenty of ideas, and the need for information about digitization remains high.

www.topsoft.ch