Rise in cross-border visits cheers Hanover Fair

Apr 8, 2011, 13:25 GMT

Hanover, Germany - A sharp rise in visits by non-German buyers to the Hanover Fair, the world's biggest industrial expo, was a sign of a pick-up in the world economy, organizers said on the last day, Friday.

Overall attendance at the five-day event in Germany had been somewhat more than 230,000, chief executive Wolfram von Fritsch said. This was 12 to 15 per cent more than in 2009, the last comparable year.

In even-numbered years, the fair has a smaller array of departments.

Von Fritsch said about 60,000 of the total had come from outside Germany, one third more than two years ago.

He said that was significant, because buyers do not travel all the way to northern Germany on whim, but in the hope of actually finding suppliers and placing orders.

The Hanover Fair displays factory machinery ranging from simple electric motors and gearboxes to ingenious industrial robots as well as heavy-duty electrical equipment ranging from switches to cables.

Some 6,500 companies from 65 nations showed products this year.

A survey of the exhibitors found most were upbeat about the business outlook. Half said they were expanding their workforces and 60 per cent expected their sales to rise this year. Von Fritsch called it the most successful Hanover Fair for a decade.

Read more about Business

Read more about Germany Trade