IE Expo China 2017 Sets New Records

From May 4 to 6, 2017, IE expo China demonstrated its flagship role for the Asian region. This year, Asia's leading trade fair for environmental technologies achieved growth in every area: visitors, exhibitors and floor space. During three days, the industry experts had the opportunity to discover the latest innovations and solutions for water, waste, air and soil at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).

Stefan Rummel, Managing Director of Messe München, drew a positive conclusion: "This year's IE expo China impressively demonstrated that the demand in the field of innovative environmental technologies is higher than ever before. The record numbers underscore that our trade fair is unquestionably the number one meeting point for the industry in Asia and within the IFAT family the most successful spin-off."Jiang Gang, Managing Director of Messe Muenchen Zhongmao, added: "Increasing environmental awareness among the population and the growing government initiatives have given a boost to IE expo China. The waste management and recycling sector, which was twice as large as in the previous year, proved to be a growth driver."

Over 55,000 visitors from 60 countries and regions came to Shanghai over the three days. This equals a 28 percent increase compared to the previous year. IE expo China also saw an increase in exhibitors and floor space: 1,637 exhibitors represent a rise of 26 percent and 39 percent more floor space (three additional exhibition halls) at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

As one of the biggest and most successful shows of the IFAT network, IE expo China is not only a must for the Asian market, but also attracts many international companies from outside of Asia. After China, the highest number of exhibitors came from Germany, the USA, Italy and South Korea (in that order).

Among other factors, the high level of participation from Europe can be attributed to the many country pavilions. There was also a joint European pavilion for the first time, which was funded by the European Commission as part of the SME Instrument's Overseas Trade Fairs Program. Pedro Gómez, CEO of Apria Systems, explained: "Our participation in the European pavilion was a fantastic experience. We met a lot of potential clients from Asia."

As one of the biggest and most successful shows of Not only at the exhibition booths was there a lively exchange between exhibitors and visitors. The International Buyers' Business Matchmaking Program, being offered for the first time, provided an attractive setting for business talks with perfectly matched contacts. In the matchmaking program, nearly 200 participants joined in the expert discussions organized in the run-up to the fair. To promote particularly innovative and promising technologies, selected companies were given the opportunity to present their new products in the Innovation Pavilion and accompanying forum in front of a specialist jury of international industry experts and investors.

The next IE expo China will take place from May 3 to 5, 2018, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). In the fall of this year, from September 20 to 22, 2017, its spin-off IE expo Guangzhou will present products and solutions for the South China market at the China Import and Export Fair Complex.