EuroShop has been established as the world’s leading trade fair in this industry for decades. In 1966 Wanzl, a young company at that time, presented its products at the first fair in Düsseldorf, with the aim of generating orders and gaining contacts. In those days, every single trade fair visit bore a significant cost, and so the entire Wanzl team stayed at a simple guest house, where two employees shared each room and everyone shared the communal bathrooms to prepare for the day.

Towards the end of the first day of the trade fair, the buyer from a major Swedish furniture firm visited the Wanzl stand. The trade fair was, in some ways, a rather informal affair back then. People were “just spending time together”, and so conversation remained personal. In the course of this easy conversation, the visitor revealed that he was rather stressed out, as he had not been able to find a hotel room and did not know where he could stay. Immediately, the team offered him a room of his own in the guest house, while the team could be accommodated in additional beds in their colleagues’ rooms – thankfully, compliance was not an issue then! The buyer accepted this thoughtful offer with a relieved smile. He took the room in the guest house, and he no doubt dreamt of the team’s generosity!