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Health & Safety International had the pleasure of sitting down with new show director, Lars Wismer of Messe Dűsseldorf, to discuss what’s in store for visitors and exhibitors alike at this year’s stand-out A+A trade fair in October.
What brought you to this role as new show director of A+A?
I used to work for Messe Dűsseldorf for 18 years, and then I thought I’d try something new so I went into the entertainment and sport industry for a couple of years. We call it – I mean it’s kind of a difficult word at the moment to use – but we call it kind of the ‘trade fair virus’, you know once you’ve caught it you never really get rid of it. The company that I worked for in between was located right next to the fair ground so there was always a connection, I used to go in all the time. You never really lose the enthusiasm for trade fairs. There was an opportunity for me and I kind of grabbed it. I’m really glad I had the opportunity to step in for A+A and glasstech (my other show), especially A+A. It’s just a wonderful topic, health and safety in the workplace, it’s something that everybody can relate to and I’m really happy that I had the chance to start.
What are you excited to bring to the shows?
For this year’s show everything is already underway and we’re basically on the finishing line with the preparation. It’s a very exciting time at the moment but I think for the upcoming shows and the future A+As I think I can bring in a lot of new ideas, and as a show organiser, specifically for the A+A, I think we have to evolve. I mean, especially through the pandemic, everything has been changing so much, workplaces changed, digitalisation has probably sped up the development multiple times. I think we’ll have to recognise that and see how we can accommodate this development for our shows. It’s not only a trade show, we should be a platform for the industry. For us, it’s important that we add additional value to our visitors and exhibitors in terms of knowledge transfer, special shows, and special events. I think that’s very, very important because it is something we would very much like to work on and we have a couple of ideas already.
What’s new to A+A since the last show?
Well, we have a new hall layout. Since A+A has been developing and growing, we thought it would be time to reorganise the show and cluster the topics a little bit more to make it easier, especially for visitors, to find certain topics and not have to change between so many halls to find PPE equipment, for example, or components, so that they can focus on their visit. That’s definitely one very big change, but we think the visitors will definitely benefit from it alot.
What will be the main themes of A+A 2023? What’s new and trending in the industry?
Well, part of the show is obviously PPE, we also have corporate fashion which is not brand new, we had it in 2018 for the first time and in 2021 we tried to reestablish that. In general, components are definitely an area we have tried to build up – suppliers for manufacturers. What else have we got? Definitely for me a very interesting part is the exoskeleton park (the Exo Park) because I think that’s kind of futuristic, like a Sci-Fi, a kind of look into the future, half-human half-robot. I think that’s very interesting and what I really like about it is that you can actually try those. It’s going to be so cool. And this is a thing I like about A+A, that you actually get to try out and touch things. I think it’s very important, and there is a basic truth I think for every fair, whether it is clothing or machinery, people from that industry always want to touch, feel, hear and smell, and basically experience something for all your senses.
What makes A+A different to other shows in the sector?
Apart from the size, which is definitely not the key point, I think it’s that we are so international. That’s the main focus for A+A, that we not only have so many international exhibitors but also international visitors, which is what I think makes this show really unique.
What levels of registration have you seen? What do you expect actual attendance to be? And importantly, how does this compare to pre-Covid levels?
In terms of exhibitors, we’ve definitely reached pre-Covid levels. We have a team working very strongly on that, and we’re really thankful for the brilliant job. In terms of visitors, well we can’t tell you actually. The pre-registrations have definitely changed through Covid. Before Covid, people used to buy tickets months in advance. That changed completely. Nowadays, if you look at the ticket sales, you better not – it will really give you a bad night’s sleep because people start buying like 2, 3, 4 weeks before the show. So it’s very hard to predict. But for us, it is very important to get a high number, quality is more important than quantity of course, but you have to fill the halls in order to get the right feeling and this is something we experience and we’re really glad about that. People really want to meet again, physically. They want to meet their clients, their customers, their competitors. What people really miss is the networking. Just meeting each other, grabbing a coffee, grabbing a beer, going out for lunch or dinner in the evening. I think people realised how important that is, and what an important part of a trade fair that is.
What adjustments have been made as you run the event with the legacy of the pandemic?
For the upcoming show, actually no, because we don’t have any regulations at the moment. We hope it stays that way! Of course, we are more aware of topics like these, and more prepared to react if there’s going to be another wave (we have concepts in place that would work). Actually we are looking forward to a pretty ‘normal’ show. Especially doing a Health & Safety show, you have a challenge on one side and a big challenge on the other side because everyone is so sensitive to it. Mask wearing during A+A I think has never been a problem, people are so well aware of Health & Safety!
Tell us more about your Start-up Zone and Trend Forum. Who’s on the floor?
We try to have a supporting programme for the A+A trade fair. So, the Trend Forum is located within the hall and is basically a ground for discussion and knowledge transfer. There’s going to be a little programme with various sessions. It is basically like a little congress within the fair. We have the big health and safety congress, but this is an addition to the programme that is going to be held there. These are much shorter and not that detailed, so that visitors and exhibitors alike can just quickly join them and get some information, get some insights from experts, and don’t have to spend half a day at the congress. I think it is very, very important. And, we have the safety and health area where we have a lot of companies and associations that are supporting. We have a big ergonomic part in terms of new work, in terms of chairs, ergonomic tables, so that you can adjust your work environment. New work is a big topic. We’ve got the big fashion show planned, I mean not only for corporate fashion which is one of the parts we are trying to grow and develop, but also for personal protective equipment of course. So, this is going to be a chance for exhibitors to really showcase their products and it’s going to be documented so they can use it for their own purposes later on. It’s going to be a lot of fun and a good thing to watch.
We try to have a couple of live presentations in terms of hazardous materials, or avoiding hazardous accidents. It’s definitely something that should attract visitors and it is always nice to have live presentations, running around doing something. It’s always important to create emotions during a trade show, and A+A has a lot of potential because the topic itself is very emotional, and if you can relay that emotion to the show floor then that’s a great opportunity.
What is your key message for attendees to A+A 2023?
We’re back! We’re looking forward to everyone coming, we’re back on track, and I think we’ll have so many innovations, new and interesting companies, and especially a lot of new topics which have developed in the last couple of years. Circularity for example, it’s one of the main topics through a lot of industries and definitely one for A+A. It is a chance to see what developments are going on, what innovations are on the market, and also to understand what has to be done for the future, to stay ahead of all the regulations that are going to be in place for sometime.
It’s definitely worth a visit because we have so many new topics and themes and I think you can really take something home from visiting A+A this year.
