Antwerp Expo first major fair for minerals and e… (Antwerp)
Edegem / Antwerp –
Collectors of minerals, gems and fossils are looking forward to Minerant in Antwerp Expo this weekend. It is the first major fair in Belgium since corona for these geological materials.
The brothers Hugo and Paul Bender from Edegem are two of the driving forces behind the Mineralogical Circle Antwerp, the van de fair. “We have been around since 1963 and can finally hold the 45th edition of Minerant. We held during corona and spent our magazine, but we miss a lot due to canceling our expenses. In the meantime, the fixed costs continued to run,” says chairman Hugo Bender.
Minerant not only provides revenue but also visibility. “Before corona, we were allowed to receive 1,500 to 2,000 visitors. Fifteen new members. With about a hundred exhibitors, we complete the largest trade fairs in the country with an international allure”, adds Paul.
The stock exchange will continue to maintain its status even when it is restarted. “We will now receive about eighty exhibitors. They come from all over the world. Our members are clearly eager to attend it will be the first major fair in Belgium for minerals and gemstones since corona. Our fair for dealers and collectors is also a social event. We are fairly constantly at 270 members, fifty of which are from the Netherlands. However, young people are more than welcome in our association.”
Own collection
Hugo and Paul have been working hard on their own collection since their childhood. “With or without the association, we like to go out to look for minerals. We visited quarries in our own country, but also went to Austria and Brazil, for example. In the Alps we once did a descent with a 33 kilogram mineral in our backpack that we really couldn’t resist. But we also went on the road in Belgium during corona. It is the ideal outing because you are almost always alone.”
Hugo has a collection collection for those who want to start one. “5,739 types of minerals exist and 65 more have been added since the beginning of this year.”
the stock market in Antwerp Expo runs on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.