As HANNOVER MESSE 2014 drew to a close on Friday, 11 April, exhibitors and organizers were able to look back on another successful event. “This year the world’s leading industrial tradeshow addressed the key issue of the future of industry by presenting the solutions needed for tomorrow’s intelligent factories. HANNOVER MESSE is the only trade fair in the world which covers the entire spectrum, from individual components to fully functional, smart production lines. And this is precisely what industry decision-makers are looking for,” commented Dr. Jochen Köckler, member of the Managing Board at Deutsche Messe. “Industry has found the focus of HANNOVER MESSE 2014 to be right on target. The event has clearly revealed the long-term growth potential for exhibiting firms which is taking shape as a result of the push towards Industry 4.0 [U.S.: Advanced Manufacturing] – and customers are now ready to make the necessary investments,” he concluded.
A total of over 180,000 visitors came to Hannover to explore the future of industry and invest in the latest factory and energy technology on show by some 5,000 exhibitors. This year’s HANNOVER MESSE Partner Country was the Netherlands (see the Partner Country press release for details). Dr. Dietmar Harting, Chairman of the HANNOVER MESSE Exhibitor Committee, was also clearly impressed: “HANNOVER MESSE is where digitized, integrated industry is putting down roots, before growing into a mighty tree. This is the starting point for driving industrial advancement in countries around the world. For us exhibitors, Integrated Industry is going to remain a key priority for some time to come.”
Even as early as the Opening Ceremony on the eve of the event, it was clear the Netherlands was going to be a highly confident and congenial Partner Country. Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte admitted that “the Netherlands is not automatically associated with advanced technology in people’s minds,” but argued this was actually a misconception. “If you drive a car with a high-tech automatic transmission system, there is a 75% chance it comes from the Netherlands,” he stated. HANNOVER MESSE enabled Dutch representatives from the industrial and political spheres to make new contacts and build on existing relationships. 250 companies from the Netherlands exhibited at HANNOVER MESSE 2014, setting a new record for Partner Country participation.
HANNOVER MESSE 2014 attracted more than 180,000 visitors from more than 100 different nations, matching the strong performance of 2012 – the most recent year featuring a comparable lineup of shows under the HANNOVER MESSE umbrella. Another standout feature involved the high percentage of industry professionals and top buyers and decision-makers among attendees. And the show’s major international drawing power was evident in the fact that more than one in every four visitors came from abroad, mainly from the European Union (57 percent) as well as from South, East and Central Asia (20 percent). In terms of individual countries of visitor origin, the Netherlands – as this year’s Partner Country – took first place, followed by China in second.
The next HANNOVER MESSE will be staged from 13 to 17 April 2015.
