A participant in the RoboCup German Open 2007 preps for the competition. (Image provided by Deutsche Messe).

It’s safe to say Hannover Fair 2008 is big, and we’re not just talking square feet or the number of exhibitors/attendees. Even the promotional brochure is a thick 35 pages. Each year professionals from 57 countries converge in Germany for technical presentations, networking possibilities and a chance to catch up on the latest market trends, innovations and business developments in the field of industrial technology.

“The energy and automation exhibits have increased in both size and scope in 2008, with a focus on climate protection, power stations and mobile robotics,” says Katja Havemeister, press officer at Hannover.

One of the highlights will be the Partner Country presentation in which representatives from Japan will discuss innovations in robotics, micro- and nanotechnologies, environmental and energy technology, biotechnology and life science. A German/Japanese summit will bring senior politicians and business leaders together to discuss their specific roles in these various fields.

The "TechtoYou" program in 2007 featured a host of events for budding engineers.

A presentation entitled “TectoYou,” returns this year specifically targeted at students. During last year’s fair, 23,500 school children participated in the event, which encourages kids to consider a career in technology.

Accompanying the energy exhibit this year is the World Energy Dialogue, a forum for energy experts to discuss the demand for energy in growth markets such as China and India.

“The World Energy Dialogue provides an opportunity for knowledge and opinion sharing on the subject of climate-friendly, energy efficient power plant technologies,” says Sepp D. Heckmann, chairman of the managing board at Hannover.

Power Plant Technology is a new flagship exhibition that gives the power plant industry a platform for the latest developments in engineering. Themes include large-scale power station construction, decentralized industrial power plants and all the peripheral technologies and services.

Power Plant technology is now a flagship exhibition at Hannover.

“By choosing to focus on key themes of energy and automation this year,” says Dietmar Harting, chairman of the exhibitor’s advisory committee, “Hannover proves once again it has its finger on the pulse of technology. We’re fully behind this strategy and plan to give the global public answers to questions on climate protection and energy efficiency.”

A new presentation entitled “Mobile Robots & Autonomous Systems” showcases the rising demand for robots in three target groups in the industrial, public and private sector. The mobile robots presentation focuses on the use of robotics in everything from transportation systems and inspection to lawn mowing and cleaning. The international RoboCup German Open, a fun sporting competition on robotic technology, will once again take place in the mobile robotics hall.

For the 5th time in Hannover history, a company will win the Hermes Award, an international technology prize that highlights groundbreaking innovations and solutions tested by industry professionals. The award is limited to products that are on display for the very first time at Hannover in 2008. In 2007, the award was jointly won by Bayer Technology Services in Germany and Ingenia Technology Ltd. in London.

Hannover Fair takes place from April 21–25 at the fairgrounds in Hannover, Germany. More than 200,000 industry professionals will attend the 10 flagship international trade shows that make up the event. Exhibitors have the opportunity to launch new products, meet face to face with customers, establish distribution channels and generate brand awareness. The 10 flagship trade fairs for 2008 include factory automation, process automation, industrial building automation, digital factory, subcontracting, energy, power plant technology, pipeline technology, micro technology and research and technology. For registration and contact information, call (609) 987-1202 or visit www.hf-usa.com.

Images provided by Deutsche Messse.