Office exchange worldwide: sharing expertise and getting to know cultures

NürnbergMesse organizes trade fairs worldwide with different concepts for success. In order for the employees of the international subsidiaries to learn from each other, NürnbergMesse supports the topic of "Office Exchange" within the group of companies.

A genuine Greek success concept is the Hosted Buyers program. Here, a team at FORUM organizes the participation of international buyers at the leading Greek food fair Food Expo, which the subsidiary of NürnbergMesse organizes annually in Athens. An expert on this at FORUM is manager Ioanna Lalia. Marketing coordinator Maria Eduarda Benevides from NürnbergMesse Brasil wanted to know whether the concept could also be successful in Brazil, so she took a look at the concept on site at the Food Expo in Athens: "I got valuable insights into the team and industry structure and the adaptability to the local market. It gave me new perspectives, and I see potential for implementing similar strategies in Brazil."

During the return visit, a new world full of cutting-edge technologies and innovative ideas opened up for Greek Ioanna Lalia at three trade shows for the aerospace and pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries in São Paulo: "I had the opportunity to make contacts in different markets, familiarize myself with the latest trends and discover the constant growth these industries are experiencing in Brazil."

Wolfgang Kranz, Vice President International at NürnbergMesse, explains the "Office Exchange" concept: "We want to leverage synergies and improve each other in line with our group strategy by exchanging know-how. The exchange between NürnbergMesse Brasil and our Greek colleagues at Forum S.A. is a good example of how we learn from each other, strengthen each other and at the same time grow together as the NürnbergMesse family."

His high expectations were exceeded, confirms João Picolo, CEO of NürnbergMesse Brasil: "Maria Eduarda returned full of ideas that she can implement here." The conclusion of Thanos Panagoulias, CEO at FORUM S.A., is equally positive: "It was an excellent idea to bring the female employees of the two subsidiaries together to learn from each other and create strong bonds."

In addition to the professional exchange, the "Office Exchange" also gave them the opportunity to get to know the culture of the other country. Maria Eduarda Benevides is "impressed by the warm hospitality I received throughout my stay". By immersing herself in the world of Greek trade shows, she said she was able to develop an understanding of different consumer behavior and different business cultures.

Ioanna Lalia raves about great places, delicious food and wonderful moments with her colleagues: "Great memories and a strong feeling of wanting to visit Brazil again in the future." She does not want to leave unmentioned "that my new friends tried without ceasing to familiarize me with the Portuguese language and traditional Brazilian customs."

Back in their home country, the two "change of scenery" are trying to put their findings into practice as best they can. While Ioanna Lalia is working in Greece on an "on demand" department for the realization of smaller one-off events and customer events, Maria Eduarda Benevides wants to develop a strategy for a buyer program in Brazil with her team. Through the exchange, expertise was shared that both companies have already incorporated into concrete business cases.

The "Office Exchange" also went very well on a human level. Real friendships have developed across the continents. Ioanna Lalia adds: "The exchange also strengthens the feeling of belonging to the large NürnbergMesse family.