Since 2001, XFAIR GmbH has been providing IT services in the trade fair and event business. Today, as a full-service provider, the company brings together a wide range of expertise under one roof. At XFAIR, software developers as well as event and communications specialists work alongside system integrators and data protection experts. Together, they deliver a comprehensive service offering tailored to XFAIR’s customers. But how did it all start? The best person to explain is the founder and managing director, Roland Fürst.
Mr Fürst, XFAIR’s broad portfolio has made you a full-service provider for everything to do with trade fairs and events. How did that come about, and what bigger picture underpins it?
Well, it came about because before XFAIR I worked in the trade fair and event sector myself as a technician and system integrator. I had a lot of customer contact, prepared the required systems and solutions, travelled to the respective trade fairs to set everything up and commission it, and I was responsible for on-site service during the event. After the trade fair, everything had to be dismantled and transported back again, of course. It then turned out that the company I was employed by at the time - a privately run business - more or less shut down simply because the owner wanted to retire. But since I really enjoyed the job and could imagine trying my luck myself, I took the step and founded XFAIR in spring 2001.
Back then, our solution portfolio was of course still very manageable. The systems were mainly pager systems - meaning you would go to the trade fair with one, two or more cases full of pagers to hand over to the customer. The installation wasn’t particularly complex and didn’t take very long. So it was fairly simple, but at the time it met the requirements.
“First and foremost, it was about making communication on the trade fair stand easier.”
When I founded XFAIR, there was never a specific vision behind it. I wasn’t aiming to build a large corporation. Of course I wanted to grow a bit - maybe have five or six people in the company, perhaps ten - but there was no clear target. I approached it rather pragmatically and tried to keep the initial customers as satisfied as possible with the solutions we had back then. The goal was to improve our customers’ trade fair and event organisation - primarily in terms of participant management - and to provide them with tools and solutions for their trade fair presence. Above all, it was about making communication on the stand easier. Those were the main requirements at the time.
So there wasn’t really a bigger picture back then - I think it developed naturally over time. That’s how it started.
When and how were software solutions added to the portfolio, and which solution was the first domino that preceded today’s modular system?
Over the years, requirements naturally changed and became far more extensive and detailed. We saw where the needs were and where our customers were struggling. That’s why we set up a small software department. The intention was always to develop solutions in-house rather than via a third-party provider or an external systems house - because we want to be able to respond quickly, at short notice and flexibly to customer requirements. That’s why it was important to me from the very beginning to have the expertise in-house.
The pager solutions at the start were initially very simple - you pressed one button and text 1 was sent, you pressed the other and text 2 was sent. Over time, this developed so that communication was controlled via a software application on a PC - a Windows application - which allowed you to search for people on the stand team by name. Additional criteria searches were added: who speaks a particular language, who is a product specialist for this or that product or exhibit, and so on. That’s how it evolved step by step.
“We want to be able to respond quickly, at short notice and flexibly to customer requirements.”
Further modules were added, such as meeting room management, as well as side solutions like shop and catering systems. Later on, we placed a stronger focus on lead management, for which we developed our own app.
It was always important to us to build the whole thing in a modular way. That means customers can use only certain parts - for example, if they have their own solutions or a separate provider/supplier for room management or hotel administration. That part is simply not activated in our system, so it doesn’t interfere, and we can serve customers individually - which also transparently affects pricing.
That’s essentially how the modular system came about. Today we have a central solution with a wide range of modules, as I’ve just briefly outlined. One large module, for example, is hotel administration, which allows you to manage all hotel room contingents purchased for a trade fair with ease. We also have our own apps for check-in/out, catering ordering systems and lead management - all the way to a complete event app. That’s how today’s modular system was created.
As a result, our developer team has grown accordingly. Today we have both web developers and app developers for iOS and Android - in other words, what you need to react quickly to customer requirements, which often come in at short notice directly from the trade fair. That confirmed that it was the right decision to have our own developments and expertise in-house.
When you think about the future of the company, which projects and innovations do you see in your mind’s eye?
Good question! First of all, I’m very satisfied and grateful for where the company stands at the moment. You could say there has been a positive development in the company ever since it was founded. More customer projects led to larger premises, more equipment and a larger team that has grown over the years. I’d also like to add that I’m very grateful that we’ve remained very consistent over the years. It has been a very good run for over 22 years now. Even though we had to get through crises - such as the financial crisis of 2008/2009 and, of course, the pandemic period which lasted two years - everything has developed very positively. I’m very grateful for the loyalty of the entire team. We survived the pandemic, which unfortunately not every company in the trade fair and event sector can say. That’s why I’m pleased that the team stayed together during the difficult phases and remained loyal to XFAIR. Because - and this is far too rarely emphasised - a company is only ever as good as the team behind it. And I have to say: we have a very good team, and I’m happy to see everyone at the office every day.
“I’m very grateful for the loyalty of the entire team.”
When I think about the future, what can I say? Of course we want to continue developing innovative solutions and having visions. Above all, we always want to keep one ear close to our customers - because ultimately it is also their needs that drive the continued development of our solutions, whether in software or hardware. We constantly receive new customer requests and then evaluate whether it makes sense to develop them. Of course we also do internal brainstorming sessions and go through life with open eyes and ears. We move in line with the state of the art, because ultimately - especially in the trade fair and event sector - it is important and right to offer innovative and technically sophisticated solutions that make life easier for our customers when it comes to trade fairs and events. Whether in advance planning, during the trade fair period, or afterwards for evaluation, reporting, statistics, etc. We also want to keep revising existing solutions - whether in terms of look & feel or usability - and add new functionality here and there. That applies to all solutions and modules we have.
We operate across Germany and Europe, with recurring projects also in the USA and Asia. We’re happy to expand that - but we also want to open up other trade fairs where we have not yet been as strongly represented. At the same time, we of course want to continue serving our existing customers in the professional manner they are used to, with high-quality solutions.
Clearly, we also have opportunities to win new customers. Growth is always a topic - but not at all costs. We want to move into the future on the good foundation we have built over the last few years.
It’s not only in the software and hardware area that things are happening at XFAIR: if you would like to learn more about our portfolio as a full-service provider, feel free to click through the latest blog posts, which will be arriving on the website one by one. Soon you’ll find more interviews - similar to this one - about the individual areas in which XFAIR operates.
It’s not only in the software and hardware area that things are happening at XFAIR: if you would like to learn more about our portfolio as a full-service provider, feel free to click through the current blog posts. If you have questions about our services, or are interested in our job openings, our contact form is available. You’ll also regularly find new insights into everyday life at XFAIR on our social media channels. Do drop by!
