Luga: "Bringing the right people together".
Luga is the largest marketplace in Central Switzerland—including for business-to-business. Because it connects target audiences.
When the 40th Luga takes place from April 26 to May 5, 115,000 visitors are expected. It is the largest business-to-business and the largest business-to-consumer marketplace in central Switzerland. The first Luga on May 11, 1980, marked the beginning of Messe Luzern, which today is also a pioneer for "digital meeting places," the initiation of business contacts through social networks and for the digital extension of trade fairs.
Fair director Luzia Roos explains the fair: "Luga is a springboard for ingenious business ideas." The reason: Luga always brings new exhibitors together with buyers. "This shows that Luga works as a marketing platform," says Luzia Roos. Among others, 22 start ups use the Luga window to meet their customers in person. The Internet can't do that.
The SME and Trade Association of the Canton of Lucerne KGL was the birthplace of Luga 40 years ago. On Wednesday, May 1, it will celebrate its 40 years of partnership with the event "You are the economy", raising public awareness of the pioneering role of many Central Swiss companies when it comes to credibility and honesty in dialogue. The highlight will be the 125th Assembly of Delegates with Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin.
Luga 2019 will attract well over 100,000 visitors. The product range makes it the largest pop-up marketplace in central Switzerland. And 450 exhibitors address their target audience with the topics of living and lifestyle, food and drink, health and fitness, and leisure and education. Speaking of digitization, why Luga participation is a must for Central Switzerland even in the age of transformation, says Exhibition Director Luzia Roos: "Our exhibitors can easily enter into a dialog with their customers and create experiences."
Without Luga, there would be no Messe Luzern. But today, Luga would not exist without Messe Luzern. It is stepping on the gas in the interweaving of digital and Luga. Social networks help to bring the right visitors to the fair and to stay in dialog with them after the fair on behalf of the exhibitors. Messe Luzern has coined the term "digital meeting place" for this. Or as futurologist Rainier Evers says: "All our online activities pursue one and the same final goal: That we meet in the real world."
This is one of the reasons why the 13 exhibitors Fischer Household Appliances, Emmi Switzerland, Vonarburg Voco, Confiserie Sandra, Nahrin, Riedweg Motorgeräte, Möbel Heller, Zentralschweizer Metzger, Spico, Prodemo Vetrosol, Villiger Söhne, Robiel Fusspflege and the music store Roos have been taking advantage of their market opportunities here as exhibitors for 40 years (!).
Messe Luzern CEO Markus Lauber specifies why trade fairs like Luga are a fixed date in their marketing agenda for the public and for exhibitors: "You can do better business in personal contact. That challenges us to make the contacts our customers want. The right people have to come together."
Luga will also host the special shows SwissInt, Switzerland's military peacebuilding in the world, Stokys, the sensory trail, the Start Up Village, Youth and Energy.
