Focus on the environment − Most successful IFAT ever

During the course of IFAT 2008, over 120,000 trade visitors from 163 countries came to the event, of which more than 40,000 were from outside Germany. Considering that there was an overall rise of 10 percent in visitor numbers this time, this means the increase in visitors from abroad is disproportionately higher, at almost 18 percent. Foreign visitors make up over one third of the total number of visitors.
 
Dr Johannes F. Kirchhoff, Chairman of the Advisory Board of IFAT and Managing Director of Faun Umwelttechnik: “IFAT has once again done justice to its role as the world’s leading trade fair for the sector. Many trade professionals, above all from international markets, made use of this fair to find out about new innovations. The wonderful setting for this trade fair, and the hospitality afforded to us in this city have contributed to the good mood. For my team and I, IFAT was very successful and it can be described as one of the best trade fairs of all time.”
 
The results of a survey of all exhibitors conducted by tns infratest testify to an even higher quality of visitors at this year’s IFAT: Over 90 percent of the exhibitors rated the international scope among the visitors as ‘good’ to ‘excellent’. The same percentage – over 90 percent – gave this rating also to the quality of trade visitors. In total 87 percent of the exhibitors have already stated they will be taking part in the next IFAT. “For Veolia, as the world’s leading environmental service-provider, taking part in IFAT is a must. We are very happy with the discussions we had with our business partners and with the international audience. For Veolia the effort was very worthwhile. We will be using IFAT again next time as an international sector meeting place for the water, sewage and waste disposal industry,” said Christophe Hug, Management Chairman of Veolia Wasser GmbH.
 
In addition, 92 percent of exhibitors rated the leading trade-fair status of IFAT as ‘good’ to ‘excellent’. Egbert Tölle, Chairman of Remondis AG & Co. KG: “IFAT is the ideal platform for presenting the entire spectrum of the private water and life-cycle management economy to a broad international trade audience. Nowhere else in the world is there a comparable forum.” And Joachim Foerderer, Managing Director of Bilfinger Berger Umwelttechnik GmbH and Chairman of the German Water Partnership confirmed: “IFAT is without doubt the leading trade fair for our sector. For Bilfinger Berger Umwelttechnik it is the most important trade fair of all – taking part here is a must. The density of decision-makers and companies from our sector is fantastic.”
 
One of the highlights at IFAT was also the Accompanying Programme, which featured the forums on ‘Water and Sewage’ and ‘Waste Treatment’, and the 14th European Water, Wastewater and Solid Waste Symposium. Over 11,700 trade visitors came to the forums, including to the Country Specials and the Environmental Cluster Bavaria – an increase of over 70 percent in comparison to the previous event. Also successful was the 14th European Water, Wastewater and Solid Waste Symposium which attracted 1,500 participants.
 
Between 5 and 9 May 2008 a total of 2,560 exhibitors from 44 countries presented innovative products and services in the fields of water, sewage, waste and recycling. That is a rise of 15 percent over the previous event. Among the exhibitors, too, there was a high level of international participation, at just over one third. This breadth was rated highly by the trade visitors – 97 percent of the visitors gave a rating of ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ to the breadth and depth of the range on show at IFAT, and 81 percent of visitors said they would ‘probably’ or ‘certainly’ recommend IFAT to their business partners and associates. Victor Garnreiter, Management Chairman, Eurawasser Aufbereitungs- und Entsorgungs GmbH, in the division Suez Environnement: “IFAT is most certainly the reference fair in the field of the environment. It offers a shop window for state-of-the-art technology.”