IFAT 2014, which showcased innovations and trends in the environmental technology sector earlier this month, was attended by 3,081 exhibitors from 59 countries (2012: 2,939 exhibitors from 54 countries) in 230,000m2 of exhibition space (2012: 215,000 m2). A new record was achieved for the number of international exhibitors, with a total of 44% of participating companies at the Munich show coming from outside Germany, a rise of 5% on 2012's fair.
And, with around 60,000 visitors going to IFAT from outside Germany this year (2012: 49,840), which represented almost 45% of the total attendance, this year’s show achieved the highest proportion of visitors from outside the host nation in the history of the event. The top ten countries of origin for visitors, after Germany, were (in order): Austria, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, Spain and Great Britain.
Exhibitors were pleased with the high quality of visitors, according to a survey conducted by TNS Infratest, with 94% of the exhibiting companies commenting that the quality of the visitors was “good” or “excellent”.
The next IFAT takes place from May 30 to June 3, 2016 in Munich
IFAT's arena for products in the field of environmental technology reflected the current headline themes in this sector: Attitudes to climate change, rising raw material prices, an increasing number of mega-cities and advancing industrialisation in emerging countries – all these trends are providng a boost in demand for products and services that aim to address environmental and climate challenges.
This trade show, with its coverage of water, sewage, waste and raw materials management, identifies strategies and applications for using resources in intelligent cycles in order to preserve those resources for the long term.
