Organization of Demo Days 2022 is poised for success. Terrain with many possibilities

Matexpo has built up a solid reputation as a trade fair for construction equipment. But a trade fair remains a static presentation of the equipment, whereas precisely in this industry a working example can be so much more enlightening.

The core idea of demonstration days was first developed in conjunction with the Matexpo trade fair itself. On the unused site of the "island" next to the fair, surrounded by freeway exits and ramps, a first attempt was made to present construction equipment in its natural environment. That first attempt was commendable, but still did not have the desired result. There were several reasons for this: the remote location, the accessibility via the bridge over the highway and, above all, the bad weather on the demo days themselves. 

But the seeds for Demo Days had been sown and the Matexpo organizers decided to organize separate Demo Days at a suitable venue, alternating with the years in which the major trade fair itself takes place. A first edition of Demo Days powered by Matexpo went ahead on September 8 and 9, 2018 in Braine-l'Alleud, was immediately successful and the participating companies saw merit in the concept. Unfortunately, the second edition, scheduled for 2020, was prevented by the corona crisis. But that is behind us and this year the organization is going all out again.

Old mine ridge

Demo Days will take place Sept. 3 and 4, 2022, at Terril Saint Antoine in Boussu, just west of provincial capital Mons. This expansive site lends itself perfectly to demonstrating earthmoving equipment, recycling machinery and construction trucks. Crushing and screening equipment will also be featured. There will be two large areas for all the equipment and a beautiful trail for the trucks in this spectacular setting. The site is an old waste dump from the mining industry in the area and is now used only as an (illegal) motocross track. The plan is to restore the entire site and open it as a nature reserve.

For the trucks, there will be a track about a kilometer and a half long, on which the participating manufacturers will each demonstrate three construction trucks. The entire Terril Sainte Antoine site covers 50 acres, but only a portion will be utilized for the Demo Days. Perhaps a downside: the narrow access roads limit the supply route for truck combinations up to 90 tons. Thus, the heaviest machines will not be able to be shown there.