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With just four months to go until Bauma 2010 opens its doors, the show promises to be the biggest yet in terms of space and exhibitor numbers
Next year's
The showground will cover some 555,000m2 - an increase of 10,000m2 from the 2007 event - and there will be 3002 exhibitors from 49 countries. Jürgen Backhof, project manager for Bauma said, "The space is completely booked out. We've been fully booked since March 2009."
Backhof explained that the organisers are using two temporary buildings to cope with additional requests from exhibitors wishing to remain under cover. He added that 500 firms are also on the waiting list for space at the 2010 show and explained that the event is a key one for exhibitors. "The show attracts buyers from around the world," he said.
This is an important development considering the financial crisis that has hit the construction industry hard. Backhof said that in spite of the drop in construction activity, the show continues to grow even from the record set in 2007 when the construction sector was at an all-time high.
The international profile of the event continues to develop and Backhof believes Bauma will attract an even greater percentage of visitors from outside Germany than before. He said, "We are hoping it will become even more international."
The international presence is certainly visible among the exhibitors, with strong showings from Italian, American, British, Chinese and Dutch firms in particular. Some of the exhibitors will be in national pavilions, with areas set out for Brazilian, British, Canadian, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Indian, South Korean, Polish, Spanish and US firms. Meanwhile some governments from countries such as the UK are offering financial assistance for manufactures wanting to attend Bauma, given the importance of the event for trade.
A key point is that exhibitors will only be able to show CE-marked machines and any that are not approved for use in Europe will have to be clearly identified as prototypes. A team will also be available to investigate claims should any pieces of equipment at the show prove to be unauthorised copies of other units, a problem that has surfaced at various construction machinery exhibitions around the world.
As with the last show, the organisers are planning an innovation awards programme. There have already been 200 applications for the awards scheme, with five possible winning categories. Also, as with previous events, Bauma 2010 will have a partner nation and in this case it will be India. This is in recognition of the huge growth potential of construction in the country, with so much investment being targeted at infrastructure. Backhof commented, "India was hit less by the financial crisis."
Other developments for Bauma 2010 include improvements to the ticketing, with visitors being offered the chance to register online and use e-tickets, to reduce the time in queuing to enter the event. Messe Munchen, which runs the show, has high hopes that it will beat the previous event in visitor numbers too, when a record 500,000 people attended the exhibition.
