Arno Reich, Senior Vice President, Deutsche Messe AG
Since the preparation for Hannover Messe 2022 is in full swing, can you please share something with our readers?
Hannover Messe 2022 will use 17 halls at the exhibition center – roughly 130,000 square meters of floor space. We expect a strong on-site exhibitor presence from Germany and Europe. We are also seeing positive signals from the USA. As far as Asia, we expect less on-site participation due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.
The exhibition caters to one of the industries that were highly affected by the pandemic. What changes are you expecting going forward?
Hannover Messe will be a hybrid event in 2022, but the focus remains on the face-to-face aspect. Our experiences during the pandemic have shown that nothing can replace personal contact at trade shows – all of our exhibitors, visitors, and partners agree on this. So moving forward, we will continue to offer virtual features that complement the on-site event by offering new ways for participants to connect, network, and do business – especially at the international level.
What are the new technologies and trends that the visitors/exhibitors will witness during this edition of Hannover Messe?
Our lead theme is Industrial Transformation. In 2022, we are focusing on two areas where industry plays a crucial role in achieving climate targets: digitalisation and sustainability. So expect to see products and services that accelerate the shift to a resource-sparing, climate-neutral and sustainable industry. Some of the hot topics for 2022 are Industrie 4.0, climate-neutral production, IT security, artificial intelligence, and green hydrogen.
How many countries are participating in the upcoming event and what would be the number of country pavilions in the show?
So far, exhibitors from 35 countries have signed up but it is too early to make a reliable projection. Due to the pandemic, however, we expect a more compact event with less international participation than usual.
How many participants are there from India and what’s the plan to attract more Indian visitors?
At this point, we cannot make an accurate forecast. The pandemic remains dynamic. Travel restrictions make it impossible to predict what will happen in the coming months. We will continue to remain in close contact with our subsidiary in India to monitor the situation.
How can this event help Indian companies enhance their business in the European market and vice versa?
Hannover Messe is the world’s leading trade show for industrial technology – it is where industrial pioneers from all over the world present their innovations and solutions for the factories, energy systems, and supply chains of the future. In Hannover, exhibitors and visitors from India experience the latest trends and technologies from Europe and meet with potential partners from Europe. At the same time, European participants see first-hand what business and investment opportunities India offers.
What’s the role of Hannover Messe in the German Manufacturing industry? How has it helped the German companies in business over the years?
Hannover Messe is the most important annual trade event for the German industry. No other event covers manufacturing, energy systems, and logistics on such a comprehensive scale or brings together so many participants from all over the world.
Our partners include Germany’s leading industrial trade associations, such as the German Mechanical Engineering Association (VDMA) and the German Electrical Engineering Association (ZVEI). Quite a few of our German customers have been exhibiting at Hannover Messe since the beginning – the late 1940s and early 1950s – and have grown with us to be world leaders in their fields.
Talking about the German manufacturing industry. What are the current trends in the German manufacturing industry?
Our exhibitor advisory board consists of leading German industrial companies, so the trends you see at Hannover Messe represent the current trends in German industry, for example, digitalisation, decarbonisation, net-zero production, sustainability, IT security, and Logistics 4.0.
How do you see the Indian market? How can we improve trade relations between India and Germany?
India is one of the world’s biggest markets and remains a desirable economic partner. Let us not forget: India was partner country at Hannover Messe 2015 with 367 exhibiting companies and about 5,500 visitors – one of the biggest partner country turnouts ever. However, the pandemic has severely restricted the personal contact that is necessary to start and build business relationships. We hope that the situation continues to improve so that we can soon welcome more guests from India again. That would be a great way to improve trade between the two countries.
Interview by Nishant Kashyap
