Inside GENERA: Why in an Online World Face-to-Face Fairs Still Shape the Solar Sector
Returning to the Human side of innovation
We live in a world where everything seems to happen online: meetings, product demos, negotiations, even partnerships. And it might seem that digital channels are enough to stay connected and well informed. But being in Genera proved it to be different.
Attending the fair for the first time as an exhibitor, not just as a visitor, brought a new level of awareness: the solar sector still depends deeply on personal interaction. Advances in technology may accelerate communication, but they cannot replace the clarity, and the honesty, of speaking with someone face-to-face, over a coffee or a beer.
Walking into IFEMA with the IED team, surrounded by all the constant activity, questions and opportunities made one thing clear: presence still matters
Why Do Face-to-Face Fairs Still Matter in a Digital World?
Because online communication is efficient, but incomplete. In the solar sector, fast-moving, competitive, and highly relational, trust is built through personal interaction. Trade fairs like GENERA compress months of digital exchanges into meaningful conversations, shared understanding, and genuine collaboration.
What We Showed at GENERA: Technology, Purpose, and Dialogue
Exhibiting at GENERA was more than setting up the TCU, the panels or the GAU. It was an opportunity to present our work through conversations with the people that had the initial idea, that have been researching for years and that developed it. And this is clear when looking at both images, one premeditated and spotless, everything looks perfectly polished but lifeless. The second one, chaotic, every person with their own problems and story, giving something to this sector, and bringing life to months of work.
- Conversations That Start With Challenges
Most visitors didn’t arrive with generic questions, they arrived with real technical scenarios. Discussing these challenges helped reveal how our solutions fit into complex projects, and why reliability is still a decisive factor in the solar value chain. And watching our expert engineers solve questions with such technical knowledge was truly admirable.
What Can You Learn Simply by Being There?
Being physically present at a fair like GENERA reveals dynamics you cannot observe from outside: how partners negotiate, how suppliers position themselves, how alliances form, and how competitors collaborate. It turns the abstract idea of “the market” into something vivid and understandable.
Observing the Ecosystem: Learning From Third-Party Relationships
One unexpected lesson from GENERA came not from our booth, but from the space around it. Simply by standing there, listening, observing, interacting, we gained insight into how third-party companies relate to one another.
- The Unspoken Language of Partnerships
You notice subtle things: who visits whom, what they comment about the booth or the technology that others are exhibiting. These micro-interactions reveal the industry’s hidden map of relationships.
- How Competitors Quietly Influence Each Other
In solar, companies compete, but they also watch each other closely. New product lines, shifted strategies, emerging priorities… all of this becomes visible in the small details that only an in-person environment expose.
- The Real Value: Understanding Context
Online, companies present polished messages. At GENERA, you see context: alliances, tensions, ambitions, and opportunities. For a first-time exhibitor, this was like gaining backstage access to how the sector truly functions.
Why Is the Solar Sector Especially Dependent on Trade Fairs?
Because solar evolves quickly and requires alignment. Technology, regulation, investment, and innovation move simultaneously. Trade fairs act as checkpoints where the sector synchronizes expectations. They keep companies connected not just digitally but strategically, through personal dialogue.
The Spanish stamp of approval
A thing that truly amazed me is how you can see the Spanish DNA of the solar sector and Genera. The most insightful and deep conversations in genera happen over a beer and jamón. A lot of stands had a professional “jamonero” just cutting jamón all day. And this is not just a whim; it is a clear example of how important informal conversations are.
Key Insights From Our First Experience as Exhibitors
- The Market Speaks Clearly When You Listen Closely
GENERA revealed expectations for robustness, transparency, and intelligent control systems. These insights, gathered through honest conversations, are now part of our product roadmap.
- Human Interaction Still Builds the Strongest Trust
A handshake, a direct explanation, a technical sketch drawn on the spot, these moments create understanding faster than any online meeting ever could.
- Presence Is a Form of Positioning
Standing alongside leading players in solar energy helped reinforce who we are: a company driven by engineering, reliability, and long-term vision.
- The Team Experience Shapes Culture
Preparing, presenting, and reflecting together strengthens relationships. Exhibiting became not just a commercial action, but a cultural one, building the informal relationships just like Eva’s blog post talks about.
How Does Exhibiting Strengthen Innovation Strategy?
Exhibiting forces teams to articulate their technology precisely, confront real customer needs, and validate assumptions. It accelerates innovation because it exposes both strengths and blind spots. Fairs like GENERA are not just showcases, they are strategic mirrors for future development.
Conclusions: What GENERA Leaves Behind
In an online-first world, GENERA reminded us why the solar sector, and perhaps every sector, still needs face-to-face interaction. Because innovation is human. Because ideas grow faster when they are shared openly. And because no digital channel can replace the clarity of being present, having a coffee or a beer with a customer or partner.
We left IFEMA with more than contacts. We left with understanding, a clearer view of where the sector is going, and of the role we aim to play within it.
