60,000 Experts at the Leading Fair
in the Joining Sector Anywhere in the World
Final Report
In spite of the globally difficult economic outline conditions, the 17thInternational Essen Welding Fair was able to maintain the high level of thelast fair (in 2005) and thus to once again achieve one of the best results inits history. To equal extents, the exhibitors and the organisers registered afair success which considerably exceeded their expectations. Six days' long onan exhibition area of 100,000 m2 at Messe Essen, 1,015 exhibitors from 42countries showed the most comprehensive range on offer since the premiere ofthe fair in 1952.
60,000 experts from all over the world obtained information about the newestjoining, cutting and coating technologies which were presented live in action.In addition to quite a lot of sales transactions directly at the fair (in part,in the middle of the six-figure range), promising discussions were held andsales transactions were initiated.
The estimation of the visitors with regard to the economic situation of theircompanies corresponds to the very positive overall mood at the fair. Almosthalf of them rate it as very favourable or favourable in comparison with thecurrent economic trend in the sector.
Foreign Commitments Are Paying Off
"With this great success, the Essen Welding Fair has, more strongly thanever, distinguished itself as the number one anywhere in the world, as theleading international fair in the joining sector," Frank Thorwirth,Chairman and CEO of Messe Essen, emphasised towards the end of the fair. Aboveall, the internationalisation strategy with "subsidiary events" ingrowth regions throughout the world has come off. "At the internationallevel, they strengthen the parent event at Messe Essen and the brand of theEssen Welding Fair and, apart from extending marketing activities abroad, havemade an essential contribution to increasing the internationality onceagain." For example, the number of nations from which the visitors havetravelled has risen by over a third from 90 to 128 countries. Not least,according to Thorwirth, the Essen Welding Fair has once more shown: "Thefair as a marketing tool with its diverse possibilities is more than a salesinstrument and can therefore hardly be replaced."
Innovative Power is the
Driving Force Behind the Joining Sector
Dr.-Ing. Klaus Middeldorf, Chief Executive Officer of Deutscher Verband fürSchweissen und verwandte Verfahren e.V. ("German Welding Society"),also stresses that the fair has provided strong growth stimuli for the economy.In both economic and technological respects, the fair has, as the leadinginternational innovation showcase, given important signals for the futuredevelopment of the sector. "That is also being confirmed by our manydiscussions with exhibitors and visitors as well as by the results of theexhibitor survey which has turned out to be very positive." Thus, not onlythe high number of visitors in particular and the general course of the fairbut also, above all, the business success were highlighted by the exhibitors.Middeldorf: "Nearly without exception, the exhibitors are expecting briskpost-fair business."
Supporting Programme with
New Elements Went Down Well
The exhibitors and the visitors heaped a lot of praise on the Annual WeldingConference which, for the first time as the GST: Messe Forum (GST: trade fairforum) was integrated into the happenings at the fair. The newly designed GST:Messe Forum with changing main subjects went down well. The lectures anddiscussions close to practical needs met with avid interest amongst thevisitors, as did the "QTI - Quality Testing International" and"Adhesive Bonding" subject pavilions with which the fair was devotedto these special fields.
The national qualifying round of the "Young Welders" competitionwhich was staged within the framework of the fair for the first time proved tobe a fantastic show, lively publicity for the welder's occupation and a uniqueexperience for the young participants. The federal state winners determined inadvance competed for the title of the national welding champion.
The 18th International Essen Welding Fair will take place at Messe Essen onSeptember 1621, 2013. Even now, over90 percent of the exhibitors and of the visitors already declared: "Wewill be involved again in 2013." In conjunction with the next EssenWelding Fair, the Annual Assembly of the International Institute of Welding(IIW), linked with the IIW Congress, will take place at Messe Essen. With 54member countries, IIW is the largest worldwide network for welding technologiesand the allied processes.
The next date:
SCHWEISSEN + SCHNEIDEN 2013
from September 16 to 21, 2013, Fair ground Essen (Germany)
Images: R. Eberhard,