Company Announcement - The mood was downright exuberant when 665 exhibitors from 40 countries came together at the summit of the industrial valves and fittings industry at the Exhibition Centre Düsseldorf from 2 to 4 December 2014. This time around, the Valve World Expo, the Leading International Trade Fair for Industrial Valves and Fittings and the concurrent conference took place on approximately 18,000 square metres of net space across three exhibition halls, Halls 3, 4 and 5 (2012: Halls 3 and 4). On show were the latest technologies, components and systems from a wide range of segments in the industrial valves and fittings sector.

Messe Düsseldorf GmbH Managing Director Joachim Schäfer said: “An excellent trade fair – not just because we yet again were able to significantly boost the number of exhibitors and space sold compared to prior events – we’ve further optimised the linkages between the expo and the conference. With marked visitor growth of about 18% to 12,500 trade fair guests, the Valve World Expo is emerging as an impressive factor in our portfolio of plant and machinery trade fairs”, said a delighted Schäfer. Shorter distances for attendees and an optimal tie-in of conference proceedings with the expo facilitated a lively exchange of theoretical and practical insights among exhibitors, visitors and conference participants. Exhibiting companies at the Valve World Expo 2014 showcased the latest technologies from these fields: valves, valve components and parts, actuators and positioners, compressors and engineering services. Software as well as trade associations and publishers rounded off the range of offerings.

“Valve World is the most important trade fair for us, which is why we always take part”, said an excited Zuzana Kašná, head of marketing at Arako. “And we were once again very satisfied with the Valve World Expo 2014. New potential customers visited us, and we already have new business enquiries. The trade fair afforded us the opportunity to present new products and let people know that we’ve expanded our production capacity”, added the marketing specialist. Friedrich Appelberg, managing director of Bomafa, also took a gratified look back at three successful trade fair days: “The significance of the Valve World Expo as a trade fair is growing and growing. Two exhibition halls turned into three this year. We were delighted to meet lots and lots of international customers, including numerous visitors from India and China.” Those countries are key markets for Bomafa. “This will help to enhance our export chances. Plus, Valve World provides an excellent opportunity for deepening one’s network and finding new partners. It’s already clear now that potential customers will visit us after the trade fair”, said a pleased Appelberg.

Samson Public Relations & Technical Documentation Director Jürgen van Santen said he had experienced a more “grown up” Valve Word. “The quality of the stands and exhibited products got even better. We think that the trade fair has at this point become a fixture in Düsseldorf”, said a content van Santen. “We’re very happy about seeing throngs of visitors at our stand. We welcomed many familiar faces, but also new ones. The Valve World Expo presents an excellent opportunity for networking and image work. That’s why it’s important to always exhibit at Valve World”, said the satisfied PR expert in summing up the event.

Similarly, Garlock Sales Engineer for Valves Rogier van Oosterzee described the Valve World Expo 2014 as a total success: “We welcomed lots of new potential customers. We always value good discussions. What’s important for us is that customers learn something while visiting our stand. The Valve World Expo enabled us to present our product advancements. We’re thrilled we had such a successful appearance.”

Some 12,500 trade visitors on three trade fair days
About 12,500 qualified trade visitors from 57 countries attended the Valve World Expo 2014. That’s a plus of approximately 18% over the previous Valve World Expo in 2012. About 75% of trade fair guests were international visitors from countries such as Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, France and India.

Trade visitors from rapidly growing Asian and South American economic regions and from the Middle East made their way to Düsseldorf, as well. As a result, Valve World Expo 2014 confirmed its No. 1 position as the leading trade fair for industrial valves and fittings. Meanwhile, two international spin-off trade fairs in Asia and the United States have become firmly established and take place every other year in Suzhou and Houston. Offerings at the Valve World Expo 2014 were geared mainly toward professionals from the oil and gas industry, the petrochemical and chemical industry, the food industry, the marine and offshore industry, the water and wastewater management sector, the automotive and mechanical engineering sector, the pharmaceutical and medical technology sector and the power plant technology sector.

Roughly 76% of trade fair visitors were executives, with 28% of trade fair visitors classifying themselves as users of valves or fittings, followed by manufacturers (22%) and distributors (16%) of valves or fittings and other traders (4%). Just under 3% were craftspeople. Visitor interests revolved mostly around valves and fittings (74%), followed by actuators and positioners (38%), valve components and parts (36%), and compressors (7%). Overall, about 98% of trade fair visitors handed out excellent or good marks for all the expo and the conference had to offer.

Specialist conference: right in Hall 4 for the first time
Held in Hall 4 for the first time, the Valve World Conference, which is organised and staged by KCI Publishing/NL, saw an excellent response. The conference had been integrated into the trade fair because of a desire to create an even tighter connection between theory and practical applications.

A total of 75 technical lectures discussed topics such as emissions, seals, castings, standardisation, materials, inspections and new designs and presented new application solutions. Additional topics included control valves, maintenance, repairs, inspections and tests, plus emerging trends. Some 400 delegates came from all corners of the world to attend this international dialogue of experts in Hall 4 at the Exhibition Centre. From 29 November to 1 December 2016, the Valve World Expo and Conference will return to the Exhibition Centre Düsseldorf for the fourth time. For information on the Valve World Expo and the accompanying conference, please visit the event’s internet portal at: www.valveworldexpo.de/.com

The Pump Summit at the Stadthalle venue at CCD South on 2 and 3 December took place for the first time. Accompanied by a trade conference, the event showcased presentations from pump and pump technology experts at a single location (please see the Pump Summit’s separate final report at www.pump-summit.de