
The 2016 edition of IFAT, an environmental trade fair held in Munich May 30-June 3, attracted more than 135,000 people who had the chance to visit more than 3,000 exhibitors, according to Messe München, the fair’s organizer.
A post-event news release issued by Messe München says approximately 138,000 visitors from more than 170 nations converged on Munich during the week to see exhibits from nearly 3,100 companies drawn from several environmental technology sectors.
For Messe München, the 2016 version of IFAT also marked the 50th anniversary of it hosting the inaugural IFAT in 1966. That version of the event featured 147 exhibitors and 10,200 visitors.
“The feedback from all our participants was overwhelming,” says Stefan Rummel, Managing Director of Messe München, regarding the 2016 version of the event. “The further rise in participation figures is impressive proof of how for 50 years IFAT has been shaping the development of the environmental technology sector.”
Adds Dr. Johannes F. Kirchhoff, chairman of the Advisory Board of IFAT and managing partner of Kirchhoff Ecotec, “The exceptional performance of IFAT is continuing in 2016. Excellent new contacts were forged for our companies, in particular in the international arena. Overall IFAT has been a tremendous success in its anniversary year.”
Messe München says it has received similar feedback from other exhibitors. “IFAT is still very much the uncontested No. 1 trade fair for the themes of recycling, water and services for municipal authorities and industry,” says Ludger Rethmann, chairman of Germany-based waste and recycling firm Remondis. “This event is like a lighthouse, beaming out a strong message around the globe that we should use the resources of our planet sustainably.”
Adds Ferdinand Doppstadt, managing director of Germany-based wood and materials processing equipment maker Doppstadt, “As one of the biggest exhibitors at IFAT 2016, this has been a very positive experience for us. Indoors and outdoors we had many visitors at our presentation spaces. Over 50 percent of our visitors came from outside Germany. We were able to successfully present our international solutions competence to our target groups—to existing customers and new customers, and also to developers and young engineers.”
The IFAT host nation of Germany provided the greatest number of attendees, followed by these 10 nations: Austria, Italy, Switzerland, China, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Denmark and Turkey. Strong growth in attendance has also been counted from Australia, China, Israel, Italy and Singapore, says Messe München.
The next edition of IFAT takes place May 14 to 18, 2018, in Munich.
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