From May 4 to 6, 2017, IE expo China once again demonstrated its flagship role for the Asian region. This year, Asia’s leading trade fair for environmental technologies achieved growth in every area: visitors, exhibitors and floor space. During three days, the industry experts had the opportunity to discover the latest innovations and solutions for water, waste, air and soil at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).
Stefan Rummel, Managing Director of Messe München, drew a positive conclusion: “This year’s IE expo China impressively demonstrated that the demand in the field of innovative environmental technologies is higher than ever before. The record numbers underscore that our trade fair is unquestionably the number one meeting point for the industry in Asia and within the IFAT family the most successful spin-off.” Jiang Gang, Managing Director of Messe Muenchen Zhongmao, added: “Increasing environmental awareness among the population and the growing government initiatives have given a boost to IE expo China. The waste management and recycling sector, which was twice as large as in the previous year, proved to be a growth driver.”
Substantial growth rates
Over 55,000 visitors from 60 countries and regions came to Shanghai over the three days. This equals a 28 percent increase compared to the previous year. IE expo China also saw an increase in exhibitors and floor space: 1,637 exhibitors represent a rise of 26 percent and 39 percent more floor space (three additional exhibition halls) at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Ren Guanping, Deputy President of the Chinese Society for Environmental Science, said: “IE expo China 2017 has set new records. We discovered a lot of new technologies, equipment and products. It is a successful trade show for the environmental industry.” Zhao Lijun, Chairman of Poten Environment Group, also stated: “IE expo China is a forerunner of the environmental technology exhibitions in Asia and a platform that enables leading environmental companies to efficiently display their strength.”
Increasingly international
As one of the biggest and most successful shows of the IFAT network, IE expo China is not only a must for the Asian market, but also attracts many international companies from outside of Asia. After China, the highest number of exhibitors came from Germany, the USA, Italy and South Korea (in that order). Qi Qiang, General Manager of Zenit Pumps (Suzhou) in Italy, emphasized: “IE expo China has become a fixed item on the agenda in our annual calendar. There are many high-quality exhibitors and products here and clearly more visitors to our booth than the last time.” Rüdiger Dalhoff, Head of Sales Support of Putzmeister Solid Pumps noted: “IE expo China sets itself apart from other events in the industry through the high quality of the visitors related to the environmental industry.”
Among other factors, the high level of participation from Europe can be attributed to the many country pavilions. There was also a joint European pavilion for the first time, which was funded by the European Commission as part of the SME Instrument’s Overseas Trade Fairs Program. Pedro Gómez, CEO of Apria Systems, explained: “Our participation in the European pavilion was a fantastic experience. We met a lot of potential clients from Asia.”
Innovation and business platform
Not only at the exhibition booths was there a lively exchange between exhibitors and visitors. The International Buyers’ Business Matchmaking Program, being offered for the first time, provided an attractive setting for business talks with perfectly matched contacts. In the matchmaking program, nearly 200 participants joined in the expert discussions organized in the run-up to the fair. To promote particularly innovative and promising technologies, selected companies were given the opportunity to present their new products in the Innovation Pavilion and accompanying forum in front of a specialist jury of international industry experts and investors.
In addition to the trade fair itself, over 300 specialist presentations, seminars and workshops provided the participants insight into market trends and their requirements. The program ranged from air pollution control and the current planning and implementation status of Sponge Cities to waste disposal in various sectors such as the automotive, medical or food industry. The next IE expo China will take place from May 3 to 5, 2018, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). The spin-off IE expo Guangzhou also shows signs of growth. Four month before the opening, the demand for the South Chinese environmental technology trade fair is bigger than for last year’s event. The organizers expect over 400 companies on an exhibition area of 30,000 square meters. IE expo Guangzhou will take place in the China Import & Export Fair Complex from September 20 to 22, 2017.
More information on IE expo China can be found at www.ie-expo.com.