Deutsche Messe Adds Interkama Asia

Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 4/4/2005

Deutsche Messe will launch Interkama Asia at the Shanghai New Intl. Expo Centre Nov. 28–Dec. 1. The trade fair for industrial process automation will replace the biennial MetalWorking China during odd-numbered years in a five-show cluster of events.

In 2004, the shows — PTC ASIA, CeMAT ASIA, ENERGY ASIA, Factory Automation ASIA and MetalWorking China — took place Oct. 12–15 at the facility. Together, they attracted 1,660 exhibitors from 21 countries, covered the venue's seven halls with more than 80,000 square meters (861,100 square feet) of display space and attracted 51,085 trade and professional visitors (with 8 percent coming from outside China). The show's attendees are mainly involved in investment, technology, cooperation and consultancy in Chinese industry.

According to Joachim Shafer, president of Deutsche Messe subsidiary Hannover Fairs USA, the company is pursuing a strategy in China similar to that at the Hannover Fair in Germany: collocating a number of events in related categories.

Schafer said that with Factory Automation Asia already part of the cluster, "Interkama Asia, for process automation in oil and gas, water and chemical industry, was a logical extension mirroring the existent collocation of discrete and process automation technologies at the Hannover Fair."