elektrotechnik makes a great comeback in Dortmund

There was a lot on offer on the three days of the show, with a host of trends and innovations from the focus topics of buildings technology, energy technology and industrial technology providing a comprehensive overview to the associated specialist forums including the Business Talks and a host of expert presentations giving the event plenty of professional depth. Innovations such as the GREEN SOLUTIONS speciality zone and the Energy Consultants' Day also offered great added value, winning the hearts and minds of trade visitors and exhibitors in equal measure.

“An extremely satisfactory result – as seen not just in the numbers, but also in the extremely favourable feedback from exhibitors and visitors. Elektrotechnik is back with a vengeance as a key meeting place for the industry,” summed up Sabine Loos, Managing Director of Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe GmbH.                                                                              

Almost 400 exhibitors from a total of 12 countries flocked to the event to show their innovations and solutions for tradespeople and the industry at large. The focus was on the three main topic areas of Buildings Technology, Energy Technology, and Industrial Technology. The show also succeeded in attracting many exhibitors to Dortmund for the very first time. The extensive and newly expanded supporting programme with trendsetting innovations also struck a chord with the industry. Messe Dortmund has also been ringing some organisational changes since the last elektrotechnik, with more improvements to hall layout and the visitor flow, and with the North Entrance being pressed into service for the first time at elektrotechnik, something that was very well received by everyone and helped to manage the high visitor footcount across the occupied Halls 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Exhibitors and visitor satisfaction now even higher

This year's show continued where the successful shows of 2017 and 2019 had left off. Many key players and opinion leaders in the electrical engineering sector came to the show, including representatives from the trades, wholesalers and retailers, planners, production managers and people from the energy sector. Among the international exhibitors were companies from the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland, and current technology trends were also on show from businesses based in the US, Spain, Portugal, and Austria. Around 88% of exhibitors were spontaneously able to say they wanted to return – that's even more than at the end of the 2019 show.

Visitor satisfaction was also noticeably higher than last time, with nearly 89% (a 5% improvement) planning to visit in 2025, and 94% declaring themselves 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with their visit to this year's show. Of the trade visitors to elektrotechnik 2023, 74% are involved in purchasing and procurement decisions in their businesses.

Face-to-face engagement sorely missed in the industry

“All in all, we can take delight in what's been an extremely successful comeback for elektrotechnik. Feedback from trade visitors and exhibitors has been extremely positive, and there's been a huge amount of content on offer. The industry has waited a long time to be able to meet and engage face-to-face again. This has been borne out in the many conversations we've been having. Elektrotechnik is back with a vengeance as a key meeting place for the industry. And we're especially delighted that many participants have already signalled their intention to take part again in 2025. This is also where the numerous innovations are paying off. The expansion of the supporting programme, the rebalancing of the lead topics and the more modern design of elektrotechnik have all made themselves felt,” said Sabine Loos, Managing Director of Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe which owns and operates the Messe Dortmund venue.

Martin Böhm, President of the North Rhine Westphalia Electrical & Information Technology Trade Association, the technical and conceptual sponsor of the show, summed up his verdict, saying: “Following the forced break due to the pandemic, elektrotechnik has got off to a flying start again. Once more, it's been clear that 'online' is no replacement for 'in person'. Business is done between individuals, and in online media we're all interchangeable. Our elektrotechnik trade show is indispensable for the industry when it comes to positioning ourselves well for the future.”

Christian Heil, CEO of the North Rhine Westphalia Electrical & Information Technology Trade Association, added: "As the show's technical sponsor, the supporting programme has of course always been very important to us – the specialist forums were well attended throughout. This year, we've topped our previous concept once again and also offered a speciality zone for each of the three focus areas in addition to the specialist forums.”

Varied supporting programme in tune with the times

The venue offered plenty of space in a sophisticated 'buyer meets seller' environment across four exhibition halls for people to showcase their organisations and the latest trends and products in smart buildings, smart homes, the Smart Factory revolution, renewable energies and even control cabinet construction. The TreffPunkt association stand of the North Rhine Westphalia Electrical & Information Technology Trade Association (FEH NRW) and National Association of Electrical Wholesalers (VEG) also offered trade visitors the opportunity to engage in discussion on the challenges facing the industry. The specialist forums Buildings Technology (powered by de), Energy Technology (powered by Elektropraktiker) and Industrial Technology (powered by VDE Verlag), which provided daily informative insights into specific focus areas, were well attended. The speciality zones also offered industry experts clear added value with their wealth of information. The Business Talk entitled 'Challenges for shaping the working world of tomorrow' also turned out to be a great hit at elektrotechnik.

The new GREEN SOLUTIONS speciality zone proved very popular with visitors due to its high-quality content and its topicality during the current energy crisis. The green energy transition and the important question of how it can be implemented in buildings, industry and the trades are currently occupying the minds of many businesses and the consumer public. Here, the trade audience immersed itself at numerous stands in smart solutions for an efficient 'energy and mobility transition', for solar power systems, heat pumps, charging infrastructure, and for energy management systems. The joint Touchpoint Innovation Digital stand, presenting digitalisation-related products to be tried out hands-on, offered high-quality input to everyone present. Several individual suppliers showed leading-edge products, services, and innovations, for example in the areas of data analysis, AI and cyber security.

Also of great interest was the 10th Dortmund Light Day organised by the Ruhr Lighting Equipment Society (LTGR) in partnership with the North Rhine Westphalia Electrical & Information Technology Trade Association. Here, everything revolved around lighting, trends, and safety. New cooperation partner GIH (the German Buildings Energy Consulting Association of Engineers & Tradespeople) also held an Energy Consultants' Day complementing the knowledge programme and providing high added value, especially to energy advisors.

Top-class exhibitor line-up

At its comeback event, elektrotechnik also benefited strongly from the exhibitors on site who covered the entire span of electrical engineering. An interesting mix of industry giants and genuine newcomers were in attendance, with companies such as Siemens, Weidmüller and Zumtobel showing their innovations at the venue. Long-established company BUSCH-JAEGER ELEKTRO was represented in the areas of electrical installation technology, buildings automation and high-end electronic products for smart homes and smart buildings. In the same way, frogblue offered a glimpse of new smart home solutions and also celebrated its debut at elektrotechnik.

KAISER treated Dortmund to insights into the world of surface technology. MENNEKES a world-beating producer of CEE three-phase plugs, presented industrial plugs and intelligent eMobility charging solutions. OBO Bettermann showcased some innovations as one of the top manufacturers of installation systems for electrical building equipment, and anyone looking for professional lighting concepts for buildings found what they were looking for at Glamox. Trilux, the German market leader in technical lighting, was also represented.

Danfoss was back again in Dortmund showing modern heating technology. KNIPEX showcased its product range of pliers, while Wiha Werkzeuge presented new health-friendly hand tools. PHOENIX CONTACT provided information on its solutions in the areas of fastenings, electronics, and automation.

Organisers, exhibitors and trade visitors delighted

“In summary, the mix of on-site presentation, high-content input, the opportunity to do business face-to-face and the opportunity to grow one's network worked very well once more. Our new partners, the GIH [German Buildings Energy Consulting Association of Engineers & Tradespeople] and the DIvB [German Institute for Preventive Fire Safety] have also contributed to this with valuable additions and ideas. And of course, our technical and conceptual sponsor FEH NRW again played a major part in this year's success,” concluded chief show organiser Sabine Loos.

FEH NRW President Martin Böhm also came to an extremely positive verdict: “Nowhere other than at elektrotechnik is it so easy for tradespeople to establish contact with manufacturers and suppliers, and at the same time obtain a compact overview of the wide range of products and services on offer in the electrical engineering sector. We are delighted that the innovations we developed together with Messe Dortmund were so well received. We've been getting amazing feedback on everything – exhibitors and visitors have been waxing lyrical about the full halls, well-attended stands and specialist forums, a first-class trade audience and knowledgeable points of contact at the venue. We can scarcely wait for the next elektrotechnik in 2025.”

Indeed, the next date for elektrotechnik has already been set: 12^th to 14^th February 2025.