NXTGEN, the Wasco trade fair with a festival look!
NXTGEN, the Wasco trade fair with a festival look!
The NXTGEN Festival took place in Papendal, Arnhem, Netherlands on May 12-13th 2023. Our long-term partner Wasco organised it from scratch in an empty field, and we were extremely proud to support them in this new and futuristic project.
NXTGEN was designed as a traditional Trade Fair but in a Festival Jacket: wandering around the different booths, the visitors were also able to enjoy music, various type of cuisines from the food trucks hired for the occasion, games to discover the technology of air conditioning in a fun and unique way and more! Not only installers and professionals of the sector were encouraged to come but also families, schools, and students. For this first edition, more than 5000 people showed up, including a solid 1000 students, interested in the HVAC universe and the technical approach behind the products.
“The whole show was extremely well organised. With our Trailer positioned in the Central Area of the festival and the life like house in the air conditioning dome. We had great visibility and interactions across the event, along with some interesting conversations. I am very confident that Haier’s participation reinforced our commitment to our valued local partner Wasco and the market in the Netherlands.”
In the different area of the festival, visitors were able to immerse themselves in the current and future generation of sustainable installations. Various workshops were held in tents on both sides of the festival grounds.
Our products were displayed in a nice and visible zone: mini houses were built under a big Dome, where we had bedrooms, office & living space to display our solutions. We took the opportunity to bring the Pearl, Flexis Plus, Expert and a Console to show part of our range. To support the theme of the event we were proud to share our brand-new Pearl R290 wall mount unit with super green credentials by using a low GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerant – a reflection of where the future is headed.
As well as our presence in the Dome, we also brought along with us the Haier Trailer, which has been doing its rounds across various Wasco branches in the Netherlands. The trailer allowed visitors to get up close to an additional range of products including ducted and cassettes.
Kars Mengerink, our Sales Engineer for the Nordic region, said:
“The whole show was extremely well organised. With our Trailer positioned in the Central Area of the festival and the life like house in the air conditioning dome. We had great visibility and interactions across the event, along with some interesting conversations. I am very confident that Haier’s participation reinforced our commitment to our valued local partner Wasco and the market in the Netherlands.”
To fit the true atmosphere of the festival, visitors were able to get involved and take part in our Haier ‘Selfie’ campaign, to win a Haier Wine Cooler fully connected by our hOn app. The idea was quite simple: take a selfie in front of a Haier unit, pose a big smile, and post it on social media. We had some extremely happy participants and winners who were great sports and really joined in on the fun.
All in one, the objective of the event was to link today to the future, in the drive to attract the next generation of installers and engineers in the Netherlands. The NXTGEN festival enabled the younger generation to explore, discover and experience in a way that relates to them. It was also an opportunity for existing installers, engineers, and specifiers to come and network and see what developments are emerging in the market.
Xander Hagens, commercial director for Wasco, appreciated the cheerful atmosphere on site:
“Isn’t it great to be able to introduce young people to technology in such a fun way? We managed to bring together no less than 60 manufacturers on this event. And they don't just show what they do. They really allow you to experience it.”
We want to thank and congratulate our partner Wasco for organizing such a successful event! We are really proud to have been part of it and are already looking forward the next edition.
