Still the premier industry meeting place

The 10th Lounges, held from April 5 to 7, 2016, took place for the third time at the Stuttgart Trade Fair Grounds. The weather outside was good, and the mood indoors was also great. The newly designed booth of Reinraum online was extremely busy all three days. That’s how it should be. Not only was this achieved by the bright red Tesla sports car, in which interested visitors could sit for a test drive, but also by the new Printline, which— for the first time as an annual edition in the new design and packed with industry information— was freshly printed and received much praise. Of course, we also moved around the hall capturing facts, opinions, and statements. The conclusion: Basically, everything is still good, even if some improvements are desired.

Approximately 6,500 trade visitors attended over the three days, visiting both the exhibitor booths and the more than 200 lectures offered, 57 action stages, 19 product shows, and 12 discussion rounds to get comprehensive and entertaining information about the latest developments in products and technologies in the fields of cleanroom and pharmaceutical process technology. Overall, the balance sheet from both the organizer Inspire GmbH and the exhibitors and visitors was predominantly positive. To meet market needs and keep the trade fair concept future-proof, a relaunch of the Lounges is planned for 2017.

When the most important producers, service providers, and experts of such a manageable industry meet, it automatically has a bit of the character of a family gathering—everyone knows everyone. And that was precisely the charm of the event 10 years ago during the first round of the Lounges, then still in Karlsruhe. Nine trade fair dates later, much has changed, but essential elements have remained. This year, many voices expressed appreciation for the renewed focus on core areas and thus on the topic of cleanroom and pharmaceutical process technology. Even if there was some critical glancing at the visitor and exhibitor numbers, it must be clarified here: Strictly speaking, the figures from 2016 cannot be compared with previous years because the 2016 LOUNGES were “adjusted” to exclude topics like Food, Hygienic Design, or Biotechnology. However, a clear increase in exhibitors was recorded in these areas.

Complete relaunch planned for 2017

Just as every product of model refinement requires adjustments, the organizers of the Lounges have made smaller or larger modifications, extensions, changes, or restrictions to the trade fair concept each year, ensuring the event’s success as a niche industry meeting. According to Harald Martin, Managing Director of the organizer Inspire Event Management, the next step is a complete “re-lounge” planned for 2017. One of the most important changes is the new date from January 31 to February 2, 2017. With the new, optimized hall design offering diverse booking options and flexible stand arrangements, future events will feature lounge stands, marketplaces, innovation areas, poster presentations, and much more. There should be something for everyone, including the universities, colleges, and institutes increasingly targeted, which are considered ideal sources for new specialists. The future looks promising.

These activities will be supported by planned recruiting days, which aim to help find suitable staff both live and online. Additionally, a top-tier lecture program has been introduced to attract representatives from middle and upper management. Another innovation are the presentation forums for exhibitors, which aim to bring the technical program back into the hall. Topics will be presented jointly with partners and/or publishers in these forums.

Furthermore, all stand presentations will be scheduled with fixed times in the program to help attract trade visitors to the booths. The highlight: an integrated “Darkzone” will be introduced. To ensure year-round networking, a modern and expanded online platform will provide current information such as company profiles, news, products, innovations, job offers, and more. This will enable continuous communication between trade visitors and providers. The new lounge community will offer the ideal platform for contacts and efficient lead management, making it easier to connect with all registered trade visitors. Topics like “Technical Cleanliness” will further expand the application fields of the cleanroom offerings. According to Ulrich Rothgerber from Inspire, many companies have already registered again. But beware: the early bird discount is only available until April 30, 2016.

During the tour through the trade fair hall and in numerous conversations conducted by the Reinraum online editorial team, a predominantly positive, if somewhat uneven picture emerged. Here are some voices.

Trade show opinions vary

At the Avantalion booth, we met Claudia Pachl, who also captivated the audience with an interesting lecture. She assessed the fair at the end of the second day as “successful for us,” even though “the number of participants felt somewhat reduced, and the exhibition space has become smaller, and the number of exhibitors has decreased.” However, she noted that “the contacts and conversations were of high quality and promising.” Often, discussions already involved concrete agreements and appointments, with the good news that many decision-makers were actually present on site. Yet, she did not shy away from a critical remark about the trade fair concept, which she believes needs revision. From exchanges with industry colleagues, she knows there is some discontent. However, the effects of the planned changes by the organizer are still to be seen. Fortunately, this year, measures to improve the quality of the lectures have already had a positive impact.

Thomas von Kahlden from CCI – von Kahlden GmbH was quite satisfied after one and a half days of the fair, especially since the second day brought significantly more visitors. “Our target group is here, and the conversations are positive,” said the company owner, who is also active on the trade fair advisory board. He still likes the trade fair concept and especially appreciates “that we don’t have a rabbit hutch mentality here.” The plans announced by the organizer for 2017 still need to be discussed. Ultimately, it’s important to him “that we uphold our fair so that this platform for cleanroom users continues to exist.” Overall, he considers everything “fine” in the tenth year of participation.

Carsten Moschner, Managing Director of Dastex Reinraumzubehör GmbH & Co. KG, still regards the Lounges as a “valuable industry meeting that started ten years ago as an innovation in our market and remains important, even if some adjustments to the concept might be needed here and there.” With a somewhat critical tone, Moschner pointed out that the services offered at the event—from catering to lectures—are now perceived as self-evident by many visitors and exhibitors. “Humans are creatures of habit, and I notice that the focus is often more on the negative than the positive,” he said. He observed that this was very different at the start of the Lounges ten years ago.

At Drees & Sommer, we spoke with Rino Woyczyk, head of the Life Sciences Division and also a board member of the VIP 3000 cooperation, about his impressions of Lounges 2016: After a quiet start, the second day was very successful with numerous good contacts and high visitor interest, he said. Not only the quantity but also the quality satisfied him, although he noted that many visitors were promoting their own services or products without being exhibitors themselves. Nevertheless, the company will probably participate again next year. Woyczyk also announced that he intends to use his influence regarding the organizer’s relaunch plans. After all, VIP 3000 is an important provider group whose voice must be heard. In principle, he agrees with the plans and welcomes the targeted flexibility in the trade fair concept. He found the new date at the end of January 2017 very good.

Mario Reichler, Sales Manager and Authorized Signatory at Fischer Mess- und Regeltechnik, sees it quite differently. While he is pleased with the good positioning of his booth within the VIP 3000 cooperation and also positive about the “generally high-quality discussions with decision-makers from the cleanroom industry,” he also notices the “significant increase in hall space leading to fewer exhibitors and visitors,” and criticizes the very early date at the end of January, which might pose some challenges. “Nevertheless, the Lounges remain the leading trade fair in the cleanroom industry for us and an important platform for projects and business in the cleanroom sector. We will definitely participate again next year.”

Also in the VIP 3000 area, at the booth of Gerflor Mipolam GmbH, we spoke with Christoph Haas, Sales Manager for Industry, from Troisdorf. The general mood is good, as visitors increased and conversations became more intensive on the second day. “We have the contacts to decision-makers we need and are satisfied overall,” he said. The lectures by Gerflor speakers also attracted very interested listeners—from students to planners, architects, and clients—and the company appreciates the opportunity to target visitors’ further education needs. The contact with students, such as those from Hochschule Albstadt-Sigmaringen, is particularly important. The company also took advantage of live demos and product shows at the booth to attract visitors. Haas views the decrease in the number of exhibitors as less critical, “especially since I feel the number of visitors has increased.” However, he considers the new date for the 2017 Lounges very unfavorable, and there are other issues he would like to see addressed, which will undoubtedly be reflected in the feedback surveys of exhibitors. “In my opinion, the organizer would be well advised to turn the Lounges into a pure GMP event; otherwise, it will become fragmented.”

For Josef Ortner of Ortner Reinraumtechnik GmbH in Villach (A), who presented the award-winning world novelty of the PDc technology for light-induced disinfection directly on humans this year, the Lounges remain an important industry meeting. “I found the idea of the Lounges great from the start. As a manufacturer, we find our target audience here and can make important contacts. And for the employees of the companies, it’s a great opportunity to get concentrated information and learn a lot in three days.” He finds the existence of a competing event, Cleanzone, somewhat problematic and generally views the industry’s dealings with competitors rather critically. He sees great opportunities in interdisciplinary cooperation and exchange.

At the booth of Schülke & Mayr GmbH, Dr. Maren Grütters, Head of Industrial Hygiene Sales, is pleased that “the second day brought a very lively turnout” and that there were intensive customer discussions and contacts with interested parties. However, confusion and unrest arose due to the date being moved from May to April, now coinciding with the Easter holidays in some federal states. The noticeable decline in visitor and exhibitor numbers, which had already been criticized last year, continued. Overall, she perceives that the level of some services has decreased—be it beer benches instead of stylish lounge chairs or reduced catering—and the previously excellent evening program has noticeably weakened. Nevertheless, she considers the Lounges “still a great event with good leads, which we will also stay loyal to next year.”

In summary, there is only one thing to say: The Lounges are and will remain THE central platform for the cleanroom industry for business initiation, presentation of innovations, contact establishment, information dissemination, networking, and relaxed meetings in a pleasant setting. Mark your calendar: The next Lounges will take place from January 31 to February 2, 2017, in Stuttgart. Reinraum online will of course be there again.