Once again HANNOVER MESSE (the Hannover Fair) more than lived up to its reputation as the world's leading technology event. There was an upbeat mood in every exhibition hall, accompanied by a tangible willingness to invest. Representatives of all the key industrial sectors were at the show to align themselves in this extremely dynamic environment and firm up their plans for the deployment of new technology and production processes. With record statistics and a large quantity of the latest products and processes, HANNOVER MESSE exceeded all exhibitor and visitor expectations, underscoring its status as an innovations platform for the global marketplace.

Attendance Up

The total attendance figures of over 230,000 visitors - up more than 10 percent on the last directly comparable year, 2005 - was an outstanding result for HANNOVER MESSE. Attendance from Germany was up 12 percent, with the volume of visitors from outside Germany up eight percent. Visitors from abroad represented around 30 percent of total attendance, with the biggest increases in foreign participation coming from the Americas and Eastern Europe. Apart from Germany, the top six countries in terms of visitor attendance were India, the Netherlands, Turkey, Sweden, Denmark and Italy. In terms of domestic visitors, attendance from the German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg was up 14 percent over the previous event. With regard to industries, the biggest visitor increases were registered in the fields of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering & electronics, and the food and beverage industry. With around 73,000 first-time visitors in all, this year's HANNOVER MESSE succeeded in reaching many new target groups. The number of decision-makers who play a role in purchasing decisions was up by 30 percent to some 21,000.
For 42 percent of visitors, the main motivation for coming to the show was the desire to catch up on the latest developments - again confirming HANNOVER MESSE's unique position as the world's leading platform for innovative technologies. A total of approximately 5.5 million business contacts were made over the five days of the show. Visitors rated the comprehensive and international market coverage as well as the presence of market leaders as being the main strengths of HANNOVER MESSE.

Gateway To The Global Market

The rate of international participation among exhibitors was even stronger than for visitors. Out of the 6,400 exhibitors at this year's event, 3,222 came from abroad - from 68 different countries. This put the international turnout at over 50 percent; the highest figure in the 60-year history of HANNOVER MESSE. Europe was the main exhibitor continent, followed by Asia and the Americas. Apart from Germany, the year's main exhibitor nations were Italy, China and Turkey (this year's Partner Country). HANNOVER MESSE is the gateway to global markets for enterprises from around the world. Hannover, Germany is where globalization becomes reality.

Focus On Energy Efficiency

The core themes chosen for HANNOVER MESSE 2007 proved to be right on target. By placing a major emphasis on energy technologies, industrial automation, power transmission and cutting-edge R&D, this year's show once again held an accurate mirror to the very latest market trends and illuminated the many advances which are now taking shape just over the horizon.
As a theme of pivotal importance throughout industry, energy efficiency drew a lot of discussion and figured prominently in a great many exhibits and special displays at the show. The responsible and efficient use of energy was the common denominator for exhibitors and visitors alike. The flagship 'Energy' fair put a major spotlight on everything related to renewable and conventional forms of energy, underscoring its role as the world's most comprehensive showcase for the sector. Industry representatives made good use of this opportunity for dialogue, both in the exhibition halls and in many parallel forums and conferences, foremost among which was the World Energy Dialogue, where an international elite group of energy industry players, politicians and R&D experts debated approaches to boosting energy efficiency. The experts concluded that global initiatives are the only way to effectively address the challenges we are facing today. Only by means of a concerted effort on the part of everyone involved and the use all available technological resources can opportunities for energy savings be leveraged in pursuit of a viable balance between growth, prosperity and climate protection. According to Deutsche Messe Board Chairman Sepp D. Heckmann, 'The clear conclusion from the World Energy Dialogue is that industry offers us all the tools, technology and know-how we need to devise long-term strategies for climate protection and achieve a turnaround, thus ensuring a climate-friendly energy supply.'
Energy efficiency was also a key topic in the area of the show devoted to power transmission: The Motion, Drive & Automation show highlighted advances and innovations for optimal energy usage in electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic drive applications. Efficient drive systems cut costs, which is a guiding light in today's purchasing decisions. The focus on increased efficiency also carries through to the automation sector, where the hot topics involve communication and safety. Live presentations on process automation also attracted keen interest. In terms of innovative R&D, there was a strong emphasis on new composites with special material and surface properties, as well as on adaptronics and bionics. HANNOVER MESSE speeds up the technology transfer process by putting industry in touch with pioneering ideas.

World's Largest Technology Convention

As the world's leading technology event, HANNOVER MESSE provides an ideal platform for dialogue between policy-makers and industry. The event was opened by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, representing this year's Partner Country. Other political VIPs included numerous German government figures, including federal and state ministers, state minister-presidents and local politicians. All of them were in Hannover to talk with exhibitors and get a first-hand look at the latest innovations on show. The fair also attracted many high-ranking politicians and delegations from other countries around the world, including representatives from almost all the affluent industrial nations.

This year's HANNOVER MESSE included over 1,000 individual events, making it the world's largest technology convention. One of the standout events involved the German-Turkish Business Summit, which attracted over 800 participants. Fresh momentum for further bilateral and international economic relations was also generated by the Siberia Business Symposium, the German-Ukrainian Business Symposium, the German-Japanese Business Forum and the 4th Lower Saxony Foreign Trade Symposium, featuring representatives of the African Mediterranean coastal states. The fourth WomenPower special symposium was another resounding success, with over 550 participants debating topics such as the reconciliation of career and family interests, the work-life balance and new working models.

Turkey As This Year's Partner Country

Turkey was the official Partner Country this year, presenting itself as a technology and trading partner for international industry with strong innovation skills. HANNOVER MESSE 2007 featured a total of 326 exhibitors from Turkey. The arrangement of having a central pavilion in Hall 26, supported by other national pavilions in the various technology sectors at HANNOVER MESSE, proved highly effective, enabling Turkish exhibitors to be present in every part of the fair. This partnership was seen as extremely important for both economies. VIP guests from Turkish political, industrial and business circles included Industry and Trade Minister Ali Co?kun and Energy Minister Mehmet Hilmi Güler.

Prospects For 2008

HANNOVER MESSE will continue to focus on the theme of energy efficiency in 2008. As a logical extension of the 'Energy' and 'Pipeline Technology' international flagship shows, next year will feature a new specialist fair on Power Plant Technology. The new event will focus on the rapidly growing market of component suppliers to medium-sized local power stations.

Repositioning Decision

Following the inclusion of wind energy as a key topic at this year's Energy fair, this topic will in the future be covered jointly by Hannover and Husum in alternating years. This decision is based on an agreement reached between the trade fair companies of Hannover, Husum and Hamburg, with the support of the German Wind Energy Association and VDMA. The agreement marks a positive resolution to a long-standing debate, successfully meeting the needs of the exhibitors involved.
The Partner Country for HANNOVER MESSE 2008 will be Japan. Following recent partnerships with Russia, India and Turkey, next year's focus will be on one of the world's leading high-tech nations. The joint motto has been chosen as 'Cooperation through Innovation.' The foundation for this partnership was laid at the highest political levels in January this year, at discussions in Berlin between German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The next HANNOVER MESSE will take place from Monday, 21 to Friday, 25 April 2008.