A total of 1,235 exhibitors from 52 countries showcased their product highlights to more than 40,200 trade visitors from over 100 nations at the recent staging of glasstec 2016, International Trade Fair for Glass Production, Processing and Products. The industry experts from the fields of mechanical engineering, glass production, processing and finishing, skilled crafts, architecture/construction, and window/façade and solar systems reportedly were very pleased with their participation. Exhibitors unanimously reported good business deals, promising contacts, an upbeat mood in the global glass sector and are expecting profitable post-show business. The event attracted a high percentage of top-management executives; more than half the visitors had decision-making authority and over 40% of the attendees had concrete intentions to invest.

“Without a doubt, glasstec is and will remain the most important trade fair for glass machinery and plant building,” said Bernd-Holger Zippe, Ph.D., chairman of the board of the German Engineering Federation’s (VDMA) Glass Technology Forum and chairman of the glasstec advisory board. “This has been confirmed once again this year by the high percentage and quality of international visitors. This position now has to be built upon. A challenge we have to meet together with our partners from the glass industry, the glazier trades and Messe Düsseldorf.”   

“The glass sector has once again impressively demonstrated its many facets and performance potential in Düsseldorf,” said Joachim Schäfer, managing director of Messe Düsseldorf. “We were able to see an innovative industry in the nine exhibition halls that looks to the future with optimism.”

The Special Show glass technology live, organized under Stefan Behling, senior executive partner at Foster & Partners in London, and the IBK 2 team of Stuttgart University, reportedly served as a central meeting place for the industry. As an innovation forum for future glass applications, the Special Show is an important catalyst for the international glass sector. With the heading “Future–Glass–Performance,” exhibits related to free-form, ultra-thin, solid, and informative glasses were on display. Highlights included smart glass that can adapt to varying light conditions such as electro-chromic glass, interactive glass as a carrier of information in electronics and head-up displays, Smart-Home functions, and an interactive all-glass sports floor. A special highlight in the structural segment was the 29.5-ft-long and 13-ft-tall all-glass slide.

The three conferences (Function Meets Glass, Engineered Transparency, and International Architecture Congress) addressing current topics reportedly were very successful with the delegates. One day before the start of glasstec 2016, over 120 participants from 22 countries met at the new, two-day Function meets Glass conference. The 70 lectures of the Engineered Transparency scientific conference attracted 210 participants from 25 nations and focused on the latest developments in structural glass construction. The International Architecture Congress drew 200 delegates with talks from speakers such as Ian Ritchie. 

The next glasstec will take place from October 23-26, 2018, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

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