High number of decision-makers, political representatives and an outstanding programme of events at WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2015
A high number of decision-makers, political representatives and an outstanding programme of supporting events – that is how to best summarise WASSER BERLIN INTERNATONAL 2015, the only platform in Germany that reflects the entire economic cycle of the water industry. Over a period of four days the international water industry was gathered in Berlin. From 24 to 27 March 22,686 trade visitors from 104 countries found out about the latest products, services and technical solutions displayed by 557 exhibitors representing 26 countries.
Dr. Christian Göke, Chief Executive Officer of Messe Berlin GmbH: “WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2015 provided a better overview and was even more wide-ranging and structured. The new concept was an all-round success. The reactions were very positive from exhibitors and trade visitors alike. The decision to incorporate the congress into the trade fair was also very well received.“
More than ten delegations from European and non-European countries, including from Jordan, Korea and Singapore, attended WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL. The delegation from Central America alone, which represented El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua, was able to conclude business in excess of ten million euros.
Numerous international representatives attended the opening of the fair. Those present included Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety Dr. Barbara Hendricks, the Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Dr. Hazim El-Naser and the Bulgarian Minister for Regional Development and Public Works Lilyana Pavlova. WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2015 also welcomed Federal Minister of Education and Research Johanna Wanka at the fair.
Trade visitor survey results
A large number of the trade visitors at WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL were decision-makers and came from abroad. The share of foreign trade visitors rose yet again and reached 27 per cent. Significantly more decision-makers attended this year’s event, with senior executives now making up around 52 per cent of the trade visitors. 51 per cent of the trade visitors said they had a significant influence on their companies' purchasing and procurement decisions.
92.5 per cent of the trade visitors described business at the fair as good. 75 per cent were able to establish new leads. More than ten per cent of the trade visitors were able to conclude business at the fair.
Around 300 school classes from several federal States took part in WASsERLEBEN, the interactive show for the public. Exhibitors and trade visitors were greatly impressed by the activities organised by schoolchildren for their peers and by the 49 institutions whose focus was on the sustainable exploitation of water resources.
Schaustelle Wasser was very well received. This was organised mainly by Berliner Wasserbetriebe, with substantial support from Berlin’s construction engineering industry. Around 500 trade visitors from around the world were able to gain a unique first-hand insight into how well the latest technologies perform.
During the fair numerous exhibitors already completed their stand registration for 2017. Those who book no later than 15 January 2016 are entitled to a 15 per cent discount on stand charges.
WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2017 will take place from 28 to 31 March 2017.
Comments on WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2015:
Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety Dr. Barbara Hendricks:
“WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL is an extremely important platform for exchanging knowledge and conducting export business.“
Dr. Hazim El-Naser, Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation:
“WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL is an extremely important event for the global water industry and a venue that showcases new and innovative solutions for countries such as Jordan.“
Lilyana Pavlova, Bulgarian Minister for Regional Development and Public Works:
“WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL is the water industry’s leading forum, and not just in Europe.“
Ranko Vilovic, ambassador of the Republic of Croatia:
“We are grateful to Berlin for organising such an important trade fair and congress. Both events are of great importance for our country, which is rich in water resources, as well as for import and export business in the metal industry and for the international transfer of technology.“
Jörg Simon, chairman of the board of Wasser Berlin and Berliner Wasserbetriebe:
“Incorporating the congress into the trade fair was the right decision and overall provided visitors with a better overview. The event attracted even greater international participation and we had positive meetings. The reactions from companies and associations were positive.“
Dipl. Ing. Johannes Lohaus, managing director, Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall (DWA):
“There were lots of visitors on the combined stand of DWA throughout the entire fair. We were pleased to be able to welcome a large number of our members from Germany and abroad and that many young industry professionals visited the stand of DWA. Once again, Berlin proved itself to be an outstanding platform, in particular for meeting political decision-makers.“
Andreas Schweitzer, head of Sales, Hermann Sewerin GmbH:
“The new concept of WASSER BERLIN with its 360-degree approach reflecting the entire water industry together with the exhibitor layout in the halls was an all-round success. A substantial number of decision-makers attended the fair. WASsERLEBEN, the interactive show for the public, represented one of the main attractions and once again was very impressive.“
Andrea Strobel, managing director of Hydro-Elektrik GmbH:
“This year we occupied a larger stand at the fair. WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL is the longest-established water industry event in Germany with a fascinating congress and information for exhibitors and visitors alike. The new concept which attracts even greater international participation is another reason for HydroGroup, an international company, to take part in the event.“
Benjamin Küster, head of Marketing & PR, GWE pumpenboese GmbH:
“The fair went very well for us and we had lots of trade visitors on our stand. Our DN1000 stainless steel wire mesh filter in particular attracted a great deal of attention so that we were able to establish interesting leads.“
Steffen Nacke, product Manager, Industrielle Durchflussmesstechnik, Badger Meter Europa GmbH:
“We had excellent and informative talks. Compared to WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2013 we had more meetings with trade visitors who were decision-makers. 90 per cent of the people we met were from abroad.“
Hans-Joachim Reck, chief executive, Verband kommunaler Unternehmen (VKU):
“For VKU as the organisation representing local industry WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL is an important meeting place. We are able to meet and exchange views with our members and hold positive talks.“
Prof. Dr. rer. Nat. Gerald Linke, chairman of the board, Deutscher Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches (DVGW):
“I am pleased to see so many exhibitors and am impressed with the wide range of topics. The challenge for WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL in the future will be to stay ahead of other similar international events.“
Christine von Lonski, managing director, German Water Partnership:
“Once again, we had lots positive talks and interesting meetings with people from abroad. For us and our members WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL is an important event and an outstanding platform for exchanging knowledge on the topic of water with people from Germany and abroad. We look forward to being back for WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL in 2017.“
Manfred Vogelbacher, managing director, Stehmeyer + Bischoff Berlin GmbH & Co. KG:
“The chances of meeting our customers here are immense. I couldn’t normally meet that many people in a year. It is important for us to be represented here so that trade visitors can get to know our wide range of products.“
Dipl. Ing. Thomas Frisch, managing partner, Frisch & Faust Tiefbau GmbH:
“The fair went very well for us and in many cases we were able to maintain our contacts. Those taking part in Schaustelle Wasser and visitors in general were very knowledgeable.“
Cem Akgün, Sales and Marketing manager, XP Solutions:
“This was our first time at WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL and we are very satisfied. The fair attracted a lot of participants from abroad. We were able to establish many new leads and learned a lot about the German market.“
Gotthard Graß, general manager, figawa – Bundesvereinigung der Firmen im Gas- und Wasserfach:
“WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2015 fulfilled the expectations of the exhibitors in Hall 4.2 and in some cases exceeded them. The combined display under the heading of ’Water from Wells’, which we had organised, was a major highlight and attracted a great deal of attention. We will continue to develop it over the years to come.“
Sebastian Meißler, Press & PR, Aerzener Maschinenfabrik GmbH:
“A wide range of technology is used to achieve the right solution for applications in wastewater systems. WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2015 gave us a good opportunity to showcase our high-performance and energy-efficient products to an expert audience.“
Jürgen Barthauer, managing director of Barthauer Software GmbH:
“As a company marketing infrastructure management and water industry software we have been taking part in WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL since 2000 and will probably be back in 2017. We value the trade fair’s international dimension. We benefited from meeting foreign participants at WASSER BERLIN again this year. Overall, the fair went very well for us.“
Prof. Jens Hölterhoff, chairman of the board, German Society for Trenchless Technology:
“From our point of view the fact that the congress was part of the fair was very positive for us. NO DIG BERLIN and the International Symposium on Pipeline Construction (ILBS) were very well attended. I was informed by many of the companies belonging to our organisation who exhibited at the fair that there was considerable international interest in trenchless construction technology from Germany.“
Dieter Hesselmann, managing director of Rohrleitungsbauverband:
“By setting up the Pipeline Construction Competence Centre at WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2015 the trade associations representing the pipeline construction industry have created a platform that showcases the capabilities of the companies under their umbrella and the industry as a whole. Numerous activities, including the Pipeline Construction Challenge Berlin, were a major attraction for the public.“
Dipl. Ing. Jörn Winkels, chairman of the advisory council of WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL and managing director of Salzgitter Mannesmann Line Pipe GmbH:
“The overall concept of WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2015 was a success. The high level of international participation and the number of decision-makers at the fair were noteworthy aspects of the event. There was a joint focus on political themes and water industry topics.“
Stefan Natz, press spokesman of Berliner Wasserbetriebe:
“WASsERLEBEN was among the highlights of WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2015 and drew a phenomenal level of interest from pupils attending the event. This was reflected by the lively atmosphere in the hall and showed that younger people are also interested in taking a responsible attitude towards water in its role as a natural resource.“
Wilfried Koch, head of the offices of Civil Protection and Water Supply Security at the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance:
“This year the congress was incorporated into WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL so that everything was within close reach for visitors. That way visitors were able to organise their timetable better.”
Heinz Habegger, president of VSA Verband Schweizer Abwasser- und Gewässerschutzfachleute:
“The congress events were outstanding, as were the speakers. The papers addressed interesting topics such as trace elements, infrastructures and climate change which are also of great concern to the Swiss water industry.“
