The dynamic atmosphere in the twelve halls of the Düsseldorf trade fair-ground was shaped by the numerous investments, spontaneous business deals and lively discussion and exchanges of expertise between exhibitors and professional visitors. Results were excellent for both exhibitors and visitors at GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST, particularly in terms of how international the demographic was in comparison to previous events: 70 % of the exhibitors hailed from abroad (65 % in 2015) and 66% of the visitors came from foreign countries (62 % in 2015).
Factors for success: An international demographic and decision-making power
“With approximately 2,360 exhibitors from all over the world, GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST have almost covered the entire international market. Global players, small, innovative newcomers and providers of niche technology alike are all represented here”, says Friedrich-Georg Kehrer, the Global Portfolio Director for Metals and Flow Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. Around 72,500 visitors from 118 countries were welcomed into the halls during the trade fair’s five-day run. The demand for European metallurgy and casting technol-ogy is particularly strong overseas, especially in Asia. This is also reflected in the international country ranking: China and India edge to the top here, followed by Italy, Turkey, Japan, France and Russia. “The mix of nations in our visitor and exhibitor demographics is a crucial factor for success of the Bright World of Metals; indeed, that’s what makes this quadruple trade fair so unique. GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST are an absolute must for metallurgy and casting profession-als from all over the world“, continues Kehrer. Dipl.-Ing. Heinz Nelissen, President of GIFA & NEWCAST and CEO of Vesuvius GmbH FOSECO Foundry Division, was quick to confirm this: “Right after the trade fair started, any remaining uncertainty caused by the economic slump simply lifted and the rush of visitors was enorm. This huge crowd of high-quality visitors, from an incredibly diverse range of international countries, were here to see the innovations from our ex-hibitors”, said Nelissen. “Above all, digitalisation, automation, additive manufacturing and resource efficiency were the focal points of the talks. We undoubtedly proved that GIFA has reinforced this trade fair’s status as a global leader. The second important factor for success, along with the diversity of in-ternationalities is the quality of the visitors: Over two-thirds work in upper and middle management in their companies and as such have a direct influence on investment decisions. Dr.-Ing. Joachim G. Wünning, Presi-dent of THERMPROCESS and CEO of WS Wärmeprozesstechnik GmbH, also confirmed this as an exhibitor himself: “The mood is amazing. The Bright World of Metals really stimulates investment decisions, and that’s exactly what our industry needs.”
Once more, the metallurgy trade fair quartet has proved itself to be a driver of trends and innovation. The mega trends, namely additive man-ufacturing and industry 4.0, ran through all the trade fair halls, uniting them. These trends met with huge interest from the professional visitors. The subjects of energy efficiency and saving resources also played a big role in events, which could be seen best in the ecoMetals Trails, for example. The synopsis from Burkhard Dahmen, President of METEC and Chairman of the Managing Board for the SMS Group, was also positive: “This year’s METEC puts out a clear statement and is a beacon for the future of metallurgy and steel production. The exhibitors presented solution concepts that primarily reflected the futuristic highlights for the industry: ecoMetals, additive manufacturing, sustainability and digitalisa-tion. Now, we need to harness this spirit and act on it to create a suc-cessful future. I’m looking forward to seeing the results of METEC 2023 already.” The next Bright World of Metals, comprised of the leading trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST will be held in June 2023; the precise date will be set over the next few months.