Special edition with over 90,000 visitors

For the special edition of the leading international trade fair for lighting and building technology, 92,838 visitors from 147 countries came to the event (2018: 220,000 from 177 countries). In addition to Germany, most of them came from Italy, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Great Britain and Poland. This meant that the internationality was 55 percent. The high level of visitor satisfaction shows that the trip was worthwhile for them. 95 percent of trade visitors are satisfied with the achievement of their visit objectives and the range of exhibits, and over 83 percent are already planning to visit “Light + Building 2024,” which will be held in Frankfurt from March 3 to 8, 2024.

Held every two years, “Light + Building” has been postponed several times due to the pandemic and has now been held as a one-off special edition in the fall at the request of the industry. In this context, the restart of the trade fair after two and a half years of pandemic has been more than successful in the view of the organizers. “We are delighted with the extremely high level of interest shown by the visitors who came to the ‘Light + Building Autumn Edition’. The topics of the event offer the answers to the current challenges of our time. In addition – and this runs through all the discussions we have – personal encounters are and remain the central element of trade fairs. Business is done between people. One thing is true for all participants: In times of crisis, it takes courage and a willingness to take risks to look to the future in a positive and solution-oriented way. The exhibiting companies have impressively demonstrated this at the Light + Building Autumn Edition,” says Wolfgang Marzin, Chairman of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt, summing up the past five days.

The “Light + Building Autumn Edition” covered the areas of lighting and building technology. In the electrical engineering, home and building automation segment, the focus was primarily on technical innovations that help to increase energy efficiency in homes and buildings. Other growing areas include regenerative energy sources such as solar or photovoltaic panels, charging management systems for electromobility, and lighting control. Efficiency and sustainability also play an important role in the lighting sector. In combination with digital control, high-quality modular lighting systems provide light when it is actually needed. The newly planned lighting area was very well received by exhibitors and visitors. At 60 percent, the area still accounts for the largest share of the world’s leading trade fair.

For the first time, new perspectives also opened up for all participants in the digital space: at the “Light + Building Digital Extension”, exhibitors and visitors were able to make targeted contact with each other and expand their network on the basis of intelligent matchmaking. This is still possible until October 14, 2022. Lectures, discussion rounds and presentations are also available on-demand on the platform, so that knowledge transfer is still possible via the versatile supporting program of the leading international trade fair.

“A strong signal is coming from this Light + Building: There are solutions to the pressing energy and climate issues, and they lie in consistent electrification and digitization,” said Wolfgang Weber, Chairman of the Board of Management of the German Electrical and Digital Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI). “The building sector is still a major CO2 emitter. That can and must change. We will see significant progress as early as the next ,Light + Building’ in spring 2024. Policymakers will have to provide the right framework to stimulate investment in networking and energy efficiency. This is the only way we can keep the climate targets in sight.”

Ingolf Jakobi, General Manager of the Central Association of German Electrical and Information Technology Trades (ZVEH) adds, “The ‘Light + Building 2022’ was an important signal to the industry. We are therefore pleased that the electrical trades were represented at the Autumn Edition in their usual strength. As a one-stop store, the trade fair once again enabled our businesses to find out about current trends, such as photovoltaics, heat pumps or even energy self-sufficiency, in the best possible way. Our impression is therefore that the e-business has returned to its tried and tested form with the Light + Building Autumn Edition. The exchange of information, always an essential part of the trade fair, was even more important this year. After all, it was not only a matter of celebrating a reunion with old acquaintances, but also of establishing contacts beyond classic trade boundaries in order to join forces and prepare for the challenges of the energy transition.”