About us

We bring people and businesses together, on the exhibition floor and at every event that matters.

The Fair Experts has grown out of Matexpo, an established name since 1946 and today one of the country’s leading trade fairs. Building on that foundation, we continue to create powerful live experiences where sectors come together, connect and do business.

Over the years, we have continued to grow, but always with the same approach: well-thought-out, realistic and with a focus on what really works. Every new initiative starts with a clear market need and is built up step by step.

Today, we organise trade fairs across various sectors and provide our clients with a wider range of support, from trade fair participation to in-house events and hospitality. This enables us to assist them not only on the exhibition floor, but also beyond.

Our approach

We like to keep things clear and practical. Clients know exactly where they stand and can count on excellent support.

clear communication
personalised approach
focus on results
excellent service

We work closely with our exhibitors to help them get the most out of their participation. At the same time, we ensure that the right target audience finds our events and gets the most out of them.

Internal entrepreneurship is stimulated in order for The Fair Experts to remain a leader in its markets.

We look for strong alliances with reliable and professional partners.

What we stand for

The name The Fair Experts was not chosen by chance. We are experts in trade fairs, but just as importantly: we organise them in an open and honest manner.

This means:

working fairly and transparently
treating clients and partners with respect
honouring our commitments
delivering quality, without unnecessary complexity

Today and tomorrow

Based on our experience with trade fairs, we have noticed that clients also need support outside the exhibition hall. That is why we are expanding our activities to include events and hospitality, through Van der Weyden Feestarchitekt and Holy Host!

We also apply our expertise to commissioned projects. For example, we are responsible for the entire organisation of Funeral@Work. From concept to execution: we support partners where necessary, drawing on our experience, structure and practical approach.

We are open to various forms of collaboration — from content-related support to full-scale organisation. Always with the same focus: quality, clear communication and smooth execution.

History

1946: first edition of ‘Harelbeekse Bouwbeurs’
1947: the name ‘Internationale Bouwbeurs’ is launched
1969: the fair moves to ‘Hallen van Kortrijk’
1975: introduction of the name Matexpo
1985: the name of the fair is limited to ‘Matexpo’
1995: Foundation of Matexpo nv
2018: first edition of ‘Demo Days’
2019: Foundation of The Fair Experts
2019: first edition of We Are Real Estate in Brussels
2020: first edition of Techni-Mat
2022: Funeral@Work
2026: Expansion of activities with Van der Weyden Feestarchitekt and Holy Host!

Board of Directors

Chairman		Honorary Chairman
Verhelst Johan		Vereecke Edouard
CEO		Vice Chairman
Caset Peter		Vereecke Filip

Directors		Honorary members
De Bruycker Geert Dedeyne Guy Olivier Yves Olszewski Gregory Sips Koen Stadsbader Pierre Van Haut Dries Vandeputte Jan Vochten Kris		Graaf Buysse Paul Declerck Patrick De Waele Patrick Desmet Luc Despriet Bernard Potteau Paul Gahide Vincent Olivier Willy Rosseeuw Freddy Stadsbader Jacques Vancauwenberghe Jef Vanderhaeghe Jean Vervaet Jef