More than 14,000 visitors in search of innovation

The absent were once again wrong

For 3 days, Flanders Expo in Ghent was all about innovation and ambition in the world of window, door, sun protection, façade and access technology. From January 15 to 17, the Polyclose trade fair welcomed 250 European exhibitors and more than 14,000 professional visitors. The 19th edition of the fair was once again top-notch. While the various exhibitors are now busy processing the many leads, the organizers are already looking forward to the anniversary edition in January 2022 with great pride.

What is a journalist interested in windows, doors, blinds, façade construction and access technology doing on a rainy Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the middle of January 2020? Then you head for Flanders Expo in Ghent anyway because that's where the Benelux trade fair for the industry is going on: Polyclose. One thing is certain: you are never alone there. Also for the 19th edition there was again massive interest from industry professionals for the innovative solutions of the 250 European exhibitors.

In July of last year, more than half a year before the start of the fair, 95% of the 28,000 m² of fair space had already been filled with participants from Belgium, but also from the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and other European countries. These included suppliers of window, door and façade systems, coatings, seals, glass, gates and fences, hardware, hardware, access control, blinds, ..., and much more. And although Wednesday seemed rather a calm day, after three days those participants were extremely satisfied with all the interesting contacts. Indeed, as many as 14,326 professional visitors found their way to Ghent. Some 25% of those visitors came from the Netherlands. That is why Polyclose is not only interesting for launching products for the Belgian market, but also for the entire Benelux and even beyond.

Linking the functional to the aesthetic

The market for windows, doors, blinds, façade systems and access technologies is evolving. Traditional stone facades are increasingly giving way to glass facades in the city and beyond, and the familiar saddle roof is giving way to flat roofs. Due to increasingly stringent energy and safety standards and the digitalization of the construction process, building optimization is more than ever the new trend, and there is also a clear drive toward quasi-invisible integration of elements.

Themes such as energy efficiency, design, smart technology and safety were obviously prominent. According to organizer Guy Martens of Limaco NV, in construction everything is connected. Large areas of glass are attractive, but they also present a major challenge in terms of safety and energy requirements. It also comes down to always linking the functional and the aesthetic. And that is precisely what the exhibitors at Polyclose are doing.

Innovation trumps

To that end, new, innovative solutions were presented en masse. These included solutions with energy-giving glass and sensors that collect data for shading, elegant sliding systems with slim profiles and state-of-the-art design, demand-controlled ventilation systems, ....

Several exhibitors broke a lance for the environment with sustainable materials, such as recycled aluminum for futureproof windows, doors and facades or recycled insulation material for the production of new high-quality board material. With global warming, solar shading and outdoor living are gaining even more importance.

In addition, the importance of security is growing and this aspect is being integrated earlier and earlier in the construction process. Therefore, various keyless access options were presented at Polyclose: finger scan, but also contactless unlocking of doors for integration into smarthome systems. Digitalization also continues and, as a result, machine parks are becoming more and more powerful, ingenious and precise. Machine builders showed their new aluminum machine tools with an emphasis on shop floor automation.

Anniversary edition coming up

This edition was a success for most exhibitors. Contacts with various players shortly after the fair taught us that they were already receiving a lot of demand for additional information and that the first orders for steel material also followed very quickly.

Polyclose organizers are already thinking about the next edition: an anniversary edition, because in 2022 the fair will be organized for the 20th time.