INTRO: Letter from InnoTrans
InnoTrans 2004 looks set to repeat the success of previous years. With 12 months still to go before this event starts on September 21 2004, Messe Berlin has already received a record number of applications. The amount of display space that has been reserved is almost equivalent to that occupied by InnoTrans 2002, and requests are still coming in. Organisers Messe Berlin see this as confirmation of the position of InnoTrans as the leading trade fair for rail transport technology.
InnoTrans is acquiring an even more international dimension too. So far companies from 22 countries have decided to attend, and they include many new exhibitors. There has been a significant increase in the numbers of exhibitors from the USA and Asia. For example, the ROTEM company, Korea’s market leader in rail transport technology, will be among the newcomers exhibiting in Berlin. InnoTrans continues to enhance its reputation as a leading world platform for the industry as a whole.
The structure adopted at InnoTrans 2002, when the displays were organised under various headings at specific locations on the site, met with a good response from exhibitors and trade visitors alike. This arrangement has therefore been retained for InnoTrans 2004, with sections devoted to Railway Technology, Public Transport, BahnBau (infrastructure, track systems), Transport IT and Services.
The section focusing on infrastructure and track systems, BahnBau, has undergone particularly rapid expansion. A year before the start of InnoTrans 2004, the display space reserved is already equivalent to the total area occupied in 2002, and an extra hall will be required for the exhibition of infrastructure and track systems. The numbers of foreign exhibitors at BahnBau will be considerably higher too.
One of the outstanding features of InnoTrans Berlin is its fully operational section of rail track adjacent to the exhibition halls. In previous years the presentation of track-bound exhibits has always been one of the highlights of the trade fair and the open days, when the public are admitted. There is tremendous demand by companies wishing to exhibit at the static display again in 2004. All the indications are that next year’s outdoor display will again be a major attraction for visitors from around the world.
Among the factors that make Berlin’s InnoTrans such an outstanding event is the concept of staging a combined trade fair, supporting programme and display of locomotives and rolling stock on the section of track. This successful concept has been further enhanced with the inauguration by Messe Berlin of its new South Entrance. This new entrance area makes more effective use of the facilities of the southern exhibition halls and provides easier access via the city’s public transport system. The end result has been to increase the appeal of this international trade fair for exhibitors and visitors alike. This is yet another indicator of the ongoing success story of InnoTrans in Berlin.
For more information, contact:Matthias Steckmann, Project Manager, InnoTrans 2004, Messe Berlin GmbH, Messedamm 22, D-14055 Berlin, GermanyTel: +49 30 3038 2036 Fax: +49 30 3038 2190
innotrans@messe-berlin.dewww.innotrans.com
