The counterpart to the RO-KA-TECH trade fair in Kassel is the WWETT show in America. This took place still unaffected by corona from February 17 to 20, 2020 in Indiana and is THE marketplace for the American waste water and environmental services sector. More than 600 exhibitors presented themselves this year on over 350,000 square meters of marketplace in the Indiana Convention Center. SCHWALM USA, which is successful and active in the market, with Kenny Cochrane, General Manager, along with his team could not be left out of such an event as an exhibitor. And on top, someone who traveled to Indiana for the show as an expert: Jochen Zeitler, Technical Manager and Customer Consultant for Schwalm Robotic GmbH, and for the first time also "junior boss" Sebastian Schwalm to support the American trade show team this year in presenting the complete Schwalm product range.
"Even though WWETT 2020 in Indiana is already three months behind us and the world has been shaken up by corona in the meantime," Jochen Zeitler says, "Sebastian Schwalm and I look back on this eventful and successful trade fair and can't help but smile. It was fantastic to once again accompany the set-up phase and experience the entire trade show."
Three days before the start of the trade show, the Schwalm trade show team consisting of Kenny Cochrane, Casey Kane, Nick Patrick, Javen Glazener, Michael Johnston, Derek Fox, Sebastian Schwalm and Jochen Zeitler set off highly motivated on the trip from Greenville to Indiana, a good 800 km away, fully loaded with Schwalm products, 11 Talpa FSR 2060 rehab robots alone, to set up the stand.
The highlight for the trade show presentation was a Schwalm trailer that had already been sold, which was driven to Indiana at the same time by a pick-up truck to ensure it got there right on time. "Well, and then during our drive together to the exhibition center Kenny Cochrane received a call," Jochen Zeitler says, "which did not deliver any good news. The pick-up truck with Schwalm trailer had suffered an accident through no fault of its own. The result: Total write-off of the Schwalm trailer! Thank God no one was hurt. Now it was time to improvise. Without further ado, a new rental vehicle was organized, all the exhibits were reloaded by the exhibition team and a Schwalm trailer, still at the Schwalm USA headquarters, was organized to arrive on time at the 500 square meter exhibition stand in a cloak-and-dagger operation." "That this operation went smoothly," Sebastian Schwalm reports, "is all thanks to Kenny Cochrane and his team. Plan B, which he came up with just like that, worked out perfectly. When the gates of the WWETT were opened on February 17, 2020, the stand was there with all the exhibits we had planned."
"What then followed were four fantastic days at the show with a specialist audience that was keen to talk and buy," Jochen Zeitler and Sebastian Schwalm say in unison. "Unlike here in Germany, business is conducted at the trade show stand here. Two Schwalm trailers alone were sold directly, and there are concrete inquiries for another four and eight Talpa FSR 2060 milling robots. And when it became known that the son of the Schwalm owner was at the stand, there was almost no stopping them. Numerous visitors wanted a photo with him," Jochen Zeitler smiles.
"Regardless of this photo story, I was also totally impressed with WWETT 2020 too," says Sebastian Schwalm. “The interest in our products was phenomenal and the professional dialogue with the trade show visitors was lively. In my opinion, the Americans are very open, willing to talk and keep themselves informed. Jochen and I would like to thank everyone involved for this great time. We'll definitely be back next year."
