Online content and successful restart in China

Spannende Exponate, fachlicher Dialog: Die IPB China konnte im Sommer 2020 erfolgreich stattfinden. (© NürnbergMesse China) / Exciting exhibits, professional dialogue: IPB China was able to take place successfully in the summer of 2020 (© NürnbergMesse China)

POWTECH WORLD is a network of the world's leading trade fairs for mechanical processing technology. Alongside the leading international fair POWTECH and the PARTEC Congress in Nuremberg, the event network includes POWTECH India and IPB China.

Although some events had to be postponed in recent months due to the coronavirus pandemic, IPB China was able to chalk up a successful restart. The event welcomed 109 exhibitors and some 8,800 visitors over three days from 29 to 31 July 2020, underscoring its position as the No. 1 venue for Chinese powder and bulk solids experts in the post-coronavirus era as well. Meanwhile, the webinar series POWTECH Virtual Talks got off to a successful start in the summer and has featured interesting topics like digital transformation or measuring and control technology. In addition, a new online magazine about POWTECH WORLD is fostering dialogue and networking within the POWTECH community.

Experts from China gathered at IPB China

The International Powder and Bulk Solids Processing Conference & Expo (IPB) took place from 29 to 31 July 2020 and was probably the first major event in the bulk solids industry to be held under the new circumstances. Almost all the 8,867 visitors came from within China. The organisers, NürnbergMesse China, put extensive safety and hygiene measures in place to mitigate risk at the event. Despite worldwide travel restrictions, the event was therefore able to reach visitor numbers at roughly the level of the 2018 round. The more than 100 exhibitors also included many of the most important international brands, each represented by their local Chinese subsidiaries or partners.

Great satisfaction with live event

The post-event visitor survey shows that despite all the digital options available, exhibiting companies still attach great importance to face-to-face, personal exchanges. No less than 96 percent of exhibitors were satisfied with the event, while 65 percent, i.e. more than half of the companies involved, have already announced that they will be rebooking for the next IPB China in 2021. The top sectors represented by IPB visitors included the chemical industry with 37 percent, followed by the food sector (23 percent), pharmaceuticals (14 percent), new energy (13 percent), glass and ceramics (7 percent) and pit and quarry/non-metallic minerals (6 percent). Darren Guo, Managing Director of NürnbergMesse China Co., Ltd. was pleased about the success of IPB 2020: “The global economy is facing tremendous challenges due to the impact of COVID-19. Under these circumstances, IPB 2020 nevertheless succeeded in offering the industry a networking and communication platform. On behalf of the organisers of IPB, I would like to express my utmost appreciation to all exhibitors, visitors and partners. Consistent with our principle ‘turning ideas into value’, we are creating added value for our exhibitors and the entire industry.” The next IPB China will be held in Shanghai from 28 to 30 July 2021. The registration phase is already in full swing, so exhibitors can now sign up for the event and book their stands.

Virtual Talks offers professional online forum

If you want to find solutions, get new ideas and contacts and work together to develop concepts, there is no better place to do this successfully and in a concentrated format than at a trade fair or congress. But for as long as live events are still largely on hold due to travel restrictions, POWTECH is offering an online dialogue platform specifically for the powder and bulk solids processing industries: POWTECH Virtual Talks. The webinar concept is well-structured and dialogue-focused. Each round of the Virtual Talks brings together three experts representing longstanding POWTECH exhibitors or end-users. For each topic, a 15-minute TED-style presentation is followed by another 15 minutes of questions and discussion points. “We launched this format with our partner APV as an experiment in the spring of 2020. It was fascinating for us to see how well professional dialogue and interaction can also function online,” says Beate Fischer, Director POWTECH at NürnbergMesse. Apart from the APV (International Association for Pharmaceutical Technology), other associations involved in the programme are the VDI-GvC (VDI Association of Process and Chemical Engineering), the training institute VDI Wissensforum, and the DSIV (German Powder and Bulk Association).

The next Virtual Talk will take place on 10 November 2020 and will explore the issue of digital transformation. Speakers from Beumer, Aerzen and AZO will discuss topics like “disruption” or “artificial Intelligence and small data”. Other subjects will follow at monthly intervals. The POWTECH Virtual Talks will be conducted mainly in English. For details of the next few rounds and to register free of charge please go to: www.powtech.de/en/exhibitors/virtualtalks