The sunshine did not hold out beyond the second day, but the crowds were undeterred. More than 390,000 trade visitors attended Bauma 2001 at the Messe Munchen showground last month – a new record high.
From 2 to 8 April the world’s construction industry descended on the south German city of Munich for Bauma, the international construction equipment and building materials machinery show.
The organisers put the number of visitors at more than 390,000, a 2.6% rise on the 380,000 figure of 1998, the last time the event was held.
On Bauma Saturday, in spite of the rain, more than 102,400 visitors turned up – a record for a single day.
The 1998 fair was the first time that Bauma was held at the new Munich trade fair centre. Previously it was held in the centre of the city, which had inhibited its growth. There were 2,341 exhibitors this time (compared to 1,993 in 1998) and they came from 42 countries.
Fortunately the transport system was just about able to cope with the number of visitors this time, thanks to new underground rail links. It was still a tight squeeze on many trains back to the city centre at closing time but even on Bauma Saturday, traditionally the busiest and booziest day, traffic flowed largely without a hitch.
That there appeared to be a drop in the number of visitors from Asia at the show was not surprising as the previous Bauma preceded the currency crisis in that region. However, the proportion of international visitors rose from 24% to 28%, the organisers said. That makes nearly 110,000 visitors from outside Germany. No wonder it was difficult to find a hotel room.
A survey of visitors conducted by independent market researchers, Infratest Burke Industria, found that 98% viewed the event positively and 94% rated it as ‘good to excellent’ (compared to 92% in 1998).
Many crane manufacturers had made a particular effort with their stands which was clearly appreciated by visitors. Many of the major names – Liebherr, Demag, Grove, Terex, Potain, Tadano Faun – had an extraordinarily impressive array of equipment on display. Even many of those with fewer cranes on show had also clearly made efforts to be imaginative. Manitowoc’s crane simulator and the interior of Wolff’s tents are worth mentioning in this respect.
Special mentions should be made of Comansa’s wine, marginally shading Rigo’s (though this is a topic of debate in the Cranes Today offices), to Amco Veba’s chocolates, and to the Demag party.
The exhibitor survey conducted by Infratest again revealed that 99% rated their participation in the fair as positive. The proportion describing it as ‘good to excellent’ was 92% (compared with 90% in 1998). Even before the week had ended, 90% of exhibitors had declared their intention to take part again in the next Bauma, scheduled for 29 March to 4 April 2004. Book your hotels now!
