Busworld - European Coach and Bus Show 2011

The jubilee edition of Busworld Kortrijk in 2009 surpassed the previous edition on all fronts. Not only were there more exhibitors, but also the event witnessed a rise in sales and the number of visitors. The sizeable expansion of Kortrijk Xpo, with the new hall 7 and the semi-permanent hall, from 7,500 m2 to 50,000 m2 raised the infrastructure to world class level. In short, Busworld 2009 was the best ever!

How might the recession affect sales, the number of exhibitors, the visitors, the hotels, the restaurants, the transport, and so on? These were all questions which were asked frequently in the run-up to the jubilee edition of 2009 and no one had a definite answer. Now, however, we can say with confidence: "The crisis has not affected Busworld Kortrijk."Despite the often gloomy predictions, the stands for Busworld Kortrijk 2009 were sold out just as quickly as for the previous editions. Only one major bus builder dropped out, but this vacancy was soon filled. Some exhibitors did opt for smaller surface areas, but this gave Busworld the opportunity to shorten the long waiting list of potential exhibitors. Apart from the record number of exhibitors, this also resulted in a wider range in terms of quality. Busworld 2009 attracted 390 exhibitors, including 70 bus builders, from 34 different countries.

The number of visitors also recorded an upward trend. The counter finally stopped at 28,127 visitors from 118 countries. This represented an increase of about 2,000 visitors in comparison with the previous edition. At the same time, whilst the number of visitors rose, so too did the quality of the visitors. Clients showed a lot of interest in the products and bus builders reported masses of purchases and sales.