Munich Trade Fairs Intl. Postpones Show

Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 2/7/2005

Munich Trade Fairs Intl. (MMI) has postponed its biotech and life sciences industry show — the April 5–7 BioAnalytica 2005 — until April 25–28, 2006, at the New Munich Trade Fair Center in Germany.

Originally intended to be held every two years, the first BioAnalytica in 2003 filled one 10,000 square meter (107,639 square foot) hall at the facility and attracted 270 exhibitors and 5,200 visitors — a good result for a new show, according to Eva Pisinger, marketing and communications assistant for new technologies at MMI.

Biotech players expected significant increases for the second event; however, due to continuing economic difficulties and the ongoing consolidation process in the industry, increases became unrealistic. "At the end of 2004, exhibitor bookings for BioAnalytica 2005 and our projection for the final result led to the conclusion that we would not realize any growth compared to the previous show in 2003," said Pisinger.

MMI cancelled the show to prevent customers from investing in an event that might not yield the results needed to justify their spending. "It is our responsibility to give guidance to our customers that enables them to grow their businesses. And in a time when the market is in a critical phase, it might be necessary not to run a show in a given year," she said.

But MMI representatives are hopeful for the future.

The root of BioAnalytica is the 37-year-old Analytica, a trade fair for analysis and biotechnology. More than 1,000 biotech products and solutions exhibitors are expected at Analytica in 2006, and MMI is expanding and developing BioAnalytica within Analytica's larger environment of research devices and laboratory equipment.

"Biotechnology and life sciences as part of Analytica worked successfully for previous fairs and will again in coming events," said Pisinger. And according to Klaus Dittrich, MMI managing director, the biotech sector remains a vital market.