Optimism at glasstec; solarpeq 2010 debuts successfully

At the concurrent staging of glasstec 2010, International Trade Fair for Glass Production – Processing – Products, and solarpeq 2010, International Trade Fair for Solar Production Equipment, Sept. 28-Oct. 1, in Dusseldorf,optimism was in the airafter difficult economic times, according to an Oct. 1 release. A total of 1,274 exhibitors and about 45,000 trade visitors took part in both trade fairs. One third of the visitors were also interested in the range of exhibits at solarpeq 2010.

The exhibitors reported good discussions with high-ranking and international visitors and anticipate a lucrative post-show business. According to a survey, more than 50 percentof the visitors at glasstec and solarpeq 2010 came from countries other than Germany. A significant increase in visitor participation from North America and in particular from South America was recorded. Almost every second visitor came with the intention of placing specific orders or had already done so.

“Foreign visitors are extremely important to us," said Dominik Hinzen, director of marketing and corporate communications, Bohle AG, Germany, in the release. "Seventy percentof the visitors at our stand on the first two days came from outside of Germany. For us as an international company it is obviously important to approach those countries where we do not have branch offices. This means we are very satisfied with the internationality of the trade fair.”

“The internationality is very good," said Jürgen K. Servais, member of the Group Management, Glas Tr?sch Holding AG, Switzerland, in the release. "The talks we had here were more positive across the board than two years ago. Well, there is a general, basic optimism prevailing so that a good follow-up business can be expected, too. I am one of the supporters of solarpeq: it is true that we still have little interest in the solar segment yet but it is the first time for this trade fair to be held here and time will tell that this decision was right.”

Martin Gutmann, president, glasstec 2010 and Federal Guild Master, confirmed a very good mood among the exhibitors: “We ourselves noticed this at our stand in the skilled trades center as did companies in the glass industry and engineering sector: the trade fair went really well," he said in the release. "This bodes very well for the coming months. We seem to have definitely come out of the trough.” Hans Werner Reinhard, deputy managing director, Messe Düsseldorf, added: “glasstec has confirmed its pioneering role as the most important international meeting point for the glass sector – and now business is on the upturn once again. This is an excellent signal for our exhibitors.”

“After the difficult year in 2009 we have finally moved out of the 'valley of tears' and you can feel optimism everywhere," said Richard Jakob, CEO, Bystronic glass, Germany, in the release. "This is reflected by busy movement at the stand showing that our potential customers are here. … We have had four very good days; this applies to both contacts made with customers, deals concluded and contracts etc. There is a marked interest in and demand for all products. … What struck me is that there are many decision-makers here. A Russian customer, for example, concluded a spontaneous six-digit–Euro deal with us yesterday.”

“Basically I am surprised how things are going for us," said Manfred Lesiak, marketing event manager, Lisec Maschinenbau GmbH, Austria, in the release. "The business deals made here have been much better than expected. Concluding deals at the trade fair is not so common in our sector but we closed a deal here with Egypt, for instance. Customers also see the direction we are taking at the solarpeq stand and this attracts attention. The trade fair has been very successful so far. We had very many international visitors. … We expect very good post-show business.”

A successful feature at glasstec 2010 was the North American Pavilion, organized byMesse Düsseldorf North America - the U.S. subsidiary of the show’s organizer Messe Düsseldorf – and co-sponsored by the National Glass Association, McLean, Va. A total of 19 North American companies showcased their products within this group exhibit.

Exhibitors at solarpeq 2010 also were pleased with visitor quality and the close connection to glasstec, giving them the opportunity to tap into new target groups and promote dialogue between the sectors. This aspect was particularly apparent at the solarpeq conference “Solar meets Glass.” With nearly 200 participants from Germany and abroad, the conference brought together the global glass and solar sectors for the first time. The top-notch participants were unanimous in their positive response to this opportunity for dialogue. Dr. Harald Binder, consultant, chairman of the SEMI PV Group and conference chair of the event jointly organized by Solarpraxis AG and Messe Düsseldorf,stated in the release: “This shows how vital exchange between the glass and solar sectors really is. The objective here should be to define a joint road map for production and applications that benefit both sectors equally. A start has now been made and it will certainly not be the last exchange of this kind.”

In addition to the solarpeq conference, the glasstec ancillary program was very well received. The first “engineered transparency” conference organized in conjunction with the Dresden and Darmstadt Universities of Technology focusing on the topics of glass, fa?ades and solar technology attracted more than 200 participants from 22 countries.

A visitor favorite was once again the special show “glass technology live” about the future of energy-efficient glass applications organized by Professor Stefan Behling and his team from the Institute of Structural Design at the Stuttgart University. Particular attractions here were the largest pane of insulating glass measuring 18.00 metersby 3.30 meters as well as multifunctional facadeswith integrated photovoltaics, solar thermics or decentralized building services. With more than 60 lectures, the accompanying symposium also was very well attended. Modern building shells made of glass were a key topic at the Fa?adesCentre located next to the glass technology live show presenting key firms and associations related to this theme.

Other features of the glasstec 2010 ancillary program included the Architects’ Congress dealing with the topic of “Glass is Energy” and attracting more than 300 participants, as well as the “glass art” exhibition presenting more than 300 works of art by international artists. A seminar program for the glazier trade and the international auto glazier competition completed the program.

The next concurrent staging of glasstec and solarpeq will take place in October 2012 in Düsseldorf, Germany.For further information on visiting or exhibiting atglasstec or solarpeq 2012, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601, 312/781-5180, fax: 312/781-5188, info@mdna.com, http://www.mdna.com.