Previewing Platformers’ Days 2020 – a new home for an exciting event
Platformers’ Days, the leading trade fair for mobile lifting and powered access equipment in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, celebrated its 20th anniversary on 5 September during the RecyclingAKTIV & TiefbauLIVE demonstration trade fairs.
The Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre unveiled the final site plan and exhibitor numbers, with 120 exhibitors expected to present their products and services across 9,300 square metres of exhibition space. With a year to go before the trade fair is held at the new venue on 18 and 19 September 2020, around 40 per cent of the expected exhibitors have already reserved their places.
Preview of next event in Karlsruhe
The event had outgrown its previous venue in Hohenroda near Frankfurt, which was bursting at the seams in terms of infrastructure, hotel capacity and presentation options. The move to Karlsruhe gives Platformers’ Days more room to develop. In her preview of the coming event, Olivia Kollmer, project manager for Platformers’ Days, emphasised: “We want to maintain the family feel of this industry meet-up, while taking the opportunity to develop it further. Karlsruhe offers the best conditions for this”.
The asphalt-covered outdoor exhibition space makes it easy for exhibitors to showcase and demonstrate their products. New special theme areas offer exhibitors additional presentation options, while allowing visitors to watch and compare the machines in action. Many of the exhibitors took the opportunity to see the spaces they had reserved. Alexandra Schawohl from Ruthmann confirmed: “We spent part of our time here looking at the exhibition grounds. Coupled with the anniversary event, we think we made the right decision to exhibit at Platformers’ Days and are already looking forward to the fair”.
Other major players in the industry, including the likes of Genie, JLG, Magni, Manitou and Merlo, have also marked Platformers’ Days 2020 in their diaries. Due to high demand, the project team has added the Atrium to the available stand space, adding another 1,000 square metres for presenting mobile lifting and powered access equipment. This means that Platformers’ Days in Karlsruhe will have a total of 9,300 square meters of exhibition space. The vast majority of this will be across the outdoor area and Atrium, with the trade fair centre’s Event Hall providing an additional 300 square metres for stands.
Looking back at 20 years of Platformers’ Days
The first Platformers’ Days was held from 17 to 19 June 1999 in the town of Hohenroda near Frankfurt. Oliwer Sven Dahms, who co-founded the event and is now responsible for sales, looked back over its successful 20-year history. He thanked the manufacturers and exhibitors to whom the event is so important for their loyalty and the strong working relationship. “It’s been a lot of fun turning Platformers’ Days from a small event to the most important trade fair in the industry. Taking the event forward with a new venue was the next logical step. Just as children grow up and leave their parents’ home, Platformers’ Days is flying the nest and looking forward to a new chapter”.
Demonstration focus popular among both visitors and exhibitors
A tour of the open-air exhibition area of the RecyclingAKTIV and TiefbauLIVE trade fairs showed that the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre knows how to host exhibitions that focus on demonstration. Approximately 8,500 visitors from the recycling and civil engineering sectors were able to witness the efficiency and performance of around 1,500 machines and systems on show across live demonstrations and special theme areas. Guests to the anniversary event used the tour to get to know the new venue, while a networking evening provided the opportunity to look back on the last 20 years and look forward excitedly to the future in Karlsruhe. The special show for powered access equipment taking place as part of the twin trade fair also gave a taste of what Platformers’ Days will have to offer. A total of 14 manufacturers and dealers showcased 16 vehicles and machines in the Atrium. Dr Peter Neven, a trade fair expert and CEO of AUMA, the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry, delivered a keynote speech at the celebration and supports the demonstration focus of both Platformers’ Days and RecyclingAKTIV/TiefbauLIVE: “This format is good for both visitors and exhibitors. The Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre definitely has its finger on the pulse of the market”.
The anniversary event and preview made one thing clear above all: manufacturers and leasers of mobile lifting and powered access equipment value Platformers’ Days as the most important event for the sector in the region. Its demonstration format and professional organisation, coupled with the new venue’s excellent transport connections and large outdoor exhibition space, wowed leasers, dealers, manufacturers and users alike.
About Platformers’ Days
Platformers’ Days is the leading trade fair for mobile lifting and powered access equipment in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Exhibitors showcase products ranging from cranes, work platforms, lifting equipment and forklifts to components, transport and services for systems and machinery. Visitors can watch and compare these live and up close. The number of visitors and exhibitors has grown ever since the event was first held in 1999. Back then, around 100 exhibitors and over 250 brands presented their products and services on around 10,000 square metres of exhibition space. Over 2,000 industry visitors from around the world took the opportunity to find out about mobile lifting and movement on the grounds of the Hotelpark Hohenroda near Frankfurt. In 2019, the event switched to a new organiser and a new location in Karlsruhe in south-west Germany. Previous organiser Vertikal EVENTS will collaborate with the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre in future to develop the exhibition.
