30 August to 2 September 2017
steinexpo 2017– Press release no. 9
A fiery start and great expectations on all sides
30 August 2017: The official "start your engines" for the 10th steinexpo sounded in the MHI basalt quarry in Nieder-Ofleiden on the penultimate day of August 2017 around noon. The organisers arranged something special to celebrate this milestone. Already driven by their passion for the event, the trade fair director and the conceptual partners from leading industry associations pressed the button to set off an imposing pyrotechnic show and so gave the anniversary demonstration exhibition a festive ushering in. As the last sparks faded away, that was it then with the temporary inactivity in the stone quarry during the opening ceremony. From now on, only action counts – and that all the way until the last chorus of horns! The latter is not merely a saying, but a custom to mark the last minutes of the trade fair. Before the steinexpo ends, all major construction machines gather for the traditional farewell honk concert. Embedded in such emotional moments, exhibitors and organisers expect a successful course of events in the time between the first spark and the last honk.
As early as the spring of 2017, it became clear that the 10th steinexpo will break many of its predecessors' records in exhibitor frequency, brand representation, area occupied and internationality. And the figures reported at the start (see box) are not only something to boast about, but they also clearly show the increase. Now it is up to the visitors to give this anniversary trade fair its last impetus of success. The signs to raise the bar also in this regard are good.
Necessary infrastructure and other preparatory work
A trade fair such as the steinexpo deserves to be defined by the preparations behind the scenes of the actual show. After all, a lot is needed to create a functional fairground from an operational stone quarry.
This is what a team of numerous diligent helpers have achieved in the past days and weeks:
- 4.5 km security fences set up
- 3.5 km hoses laid
- 12 km of power supply lines laid
- 2,500 m³ of water brought to the site by the fire brigade
- Several units were installed to ensure the power supply with a total output of 2,500 kW
- 42,000 tons of material (natural stone aggregate and recycled mineral materials), which will be handled and processed during the demos, was produced or transported, buffered or already stored at the appropriate stands for the start
- 240 km of surveying services to measure the stands
Preparing the area over the last few weeks was also a major feat of hard work and good organisation, as around 25,000 tons of rock material had to be moved to provide exhibitors and visitors alike with properly prepared exhibition stands and paths.
All of this is steinexpo live in preparation mode and the higher number of exhibitors naturally increases the effort to be put in linearly.
A comparison of yesterday and today with the future in view
The first steinexpo took place on the present level of exhibition area C 27 years ago – in September 1990. This was the beginning of the success story of this stone quarry demonstration exhibition. At the time, nobody expected the dimensions it was to grow to. And yes, of course, the story was not without its crises. The good thing about it is that the exhibition could emerge stronger from it. The avowed supporters remained, and others joined. When the managing directors of well-known associations in the aggregates industry and their suppliers stand and act quite naturally next to the trade fair director, it is accepted as this is how it should be. However, this relationship needed time to grow. When comparing the image of the early years with the current trade fair, this development becomes a little clearer. Initially conceptualised to provide insiders of the natural stone industry in particular with information about new technical developments through demonstration, the steinexpo has gradually grown into a platform covering the entire aggregates industry for technical developments in the construction materials industry and even for decision-makers from the construction industry. The images of 1990, with 80 exhibitors and 11,000 visitors, almost look as if they were taken from a silent film from the 1920s. On the one hand, it shows the technical development that has taken place since then, but also the potential of this trade fair – and in which direction it can possibly develop.
Geoplan's own directive is clear: the concept of the future is based on the "heart" of this trade fair, which consists of the demonstration of services to the fullest extent possible. Secondly, it is based on increasing the international component, and thirdly, to act as a magnet for young talent even more so than now.
All in all, a 360 approach, which is supported by the trade fair partners and supporters in the best possible way. The most successful trade fair of its kind to date, based on the figures anyway, wants to set clear signs that are understood by industry professionals but also well beyond and which will be positively received by the relevant market.
Facts and figures of the 10th steinexpo 2017 on the opening day293 exhibitors with more than 430 brands represented
Growth of almost 15% compared to 2014
75 foreign exhibitors increase internationality to more than 25%
500 machines and plants are featured in live operation
More than 40,000 visitors expected
More than 400 pupils interested in the "ThinkBig!” VDMA initiative
More than 200 young guests from other school and vocational school "sources”
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steinexpo: As the biggest and most significant stone quarry demonstration exhibition on the European continent, the steinexpo had its premiere in the Nieder-Ofleiden stone quarry in September 1990. The trade fair is held in a three-year cycle. By means of impressive live demonstrations against the backdrop of a magnificent stone quarry, manufacturers and dealers of building and processing machinery, utility vehicles and heavy vehicles as well as plants for reclamation and treatment of materials put their service performance on display. The recycling of mineral building materials represents another focus point. The steinexpo is organised by Geoplan GMBH, Iffezheim.
Queries about steinexpo 2017Professional/technical:
GEOPLAN GMBH
Tel: +49 (0)7229 606-30
/ Editorial:
gsz-Fachpressebüro
Tel.: +49 (0)171 536 96 29
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