The Swedish Exhibition Centre's profits in 2007 were the best ever. Cash flow was SEK 108 million (SEK 89 million) and operating profit was SEK 90 million (SEK 72 million). "The success chalked up in 2007 owes a lot to our unique business model," says Lennart Mankert, President and CEO.
Profit after financial income and expenses, at SEK 42 million (SEK 32 million), also chalked up an all-time high. Turnover, SEK 783 million - the second highest ever, came within a whisker of the record-breaking SEK 788 million rung up in 2006.
Lennart Mankert also notes that all business areas exceeded their profit targets. In his opinion, this very satisfactory performance is due to the Group's unique business model in which every sector - exhibitions, congresses, events, restaurants and hotel - participates and interacts. He continues, "In addition to developing our activities, we have also increased our earning ability."
"Nowadays, it's not unusual to find hotels and restaurants tied in with exhibitions," he says. "But what makes the Swedish Exhibition Centre unique, from a European perspective, is that we run it all ourselves. This means that we can not only guarantee quality, but also, at the same time, gain the very tangible benefits offered by coordination."
Another fundamental aspect of the Group's quality work is its ongoing project World-Class Hostmanship.
"The work involved in our World Class Hostmanship project is something that pervades of our whole organisation. It is, in fact, a prerequisite for achieving our growth targets. Last year, every one of our staff took part in hostmanship training."
Theodore Koumelis - Wednesday, March 05, 2008