Announcing a world and European first

An overview of the upcoming steinexpo shows that, compared to its previous trade fairs, the anniversary event will again add to the special attractions and offerings. Also in terms of numbers, this 10th quarry demonstration exhibition for the raw and building materials industry from 30 August to 2 September 2017 has beaten the targets it set for itself.

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Trade fair director Dr. Friedhelm Rese describes the registration status at the beginning of the year as very satisfactory. By the end of January about 200 exhibitors representing a total of 340 brands had already confirmed their participation. More than 20 large machines have also been registered for participation in the joint live demonstrations, in which processes used in mining and transport, are demonstrated, moderated and commented on.

But beyond the statistics, the organisers are honoured by another announcement from renowned manufacturers: steinexpo 2017 will provide the venue showcasing some newly developed European and in individual cases even world-first products. “We regard this announcement as a great validation of our efforts. That this event now receives this recognition on its first milestone anniversary is something we appreciate and value very much. I regard this a testament to the continuously growing trust in the concept and in the success of this special exhibition,” says a very satisfied Dr. Rese.

Of course, this positive trend also has a downside. Presentation and display areas for own demonstrations have become a rare commodity. Project manager Andrea Friedrich has experienced this very quandary in the past – but only at a date much closer to the actual trade fair. In addition to the excellent number of registrations, she is also especially pleased with the unexpectedly high level of international participation. “At the moment, almost a quarter of all registrations are by international exhibitors. With increased internationalisation as an objective, this is a healthy development.” As part of this development, according to Friedrich, there are also numerous inquiries from international visitors and groups of visitors about the fair.

Alert eyes for demonstrating technology

As usual, physically setting up the trade fair in the MHI stone quarry in Nieder-Ofleiden in rural Hessen will take weeks. To ensure that everything runs smoothly, intensive forward planning and orderly setting up are crucial. This means that the first large machines will already arrive at the quarry in early August.

When they finally begin their live working demonstrations for the exhibition, they will be closely watched by the alert eyes of many young people from the vocational training centres of the aggregates industry, and from colleges and universities. Moreover, students from the higher grade levels will receive the tried and tested opportunity to visit the steinexpo as part of the VDMA initiative “ThinkBig” and get to gain closer insights into the special sector of the raw and building materials industry. The framework programme for this young group of visitors is currently being developed by the organisers of Geoplan and the responsible trade professionals at VDMA.