Organizers of the 2022 edition of bauma – the world’s leading trade show for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment – have announced the event has been postponed to October 24 to 30, 2022. The global event was originally scheduled to be held from April 4 to 10. However, ongoing uncertainties related to the pandemic led show organizer Messe München to delay the event.
bauma’s 2019 edition featured 3,702 exhibitors covering over 6.6 million ft. of space and hosted more than 620,000 visitors from 200+ countries.
Messe München indicated industry response and the booking level for the April 2022 edition were very high, but following numerous discussions with customers, it became clear there were still many uncertainties in view of the global pandemic and the ability and willingness of participants to attend. Global exhibitors – who make substantial investments in exhibit construction, logistics and lodging in anticipation of customers attending from across the globe – were particularly concerned and advocated postponement.
“They saw the decisive benefit of the trade show — namely to bring together the entire industry and to be a hub for all markets — as being jeopardized if the April date were to be adhered to,” Messe München noted in its press release.
Discussions between the show organizer and top industry representatives as well as the Advisory Board led to the decision to postpone the show at this time, noting the long planning times required for exhibitors and organizers leading up to the event. With this decision, exhibitors and visitors now have clarity and a secure planning basis, said Klaus Dittrich, chairman and CEO of Messe München.
“The decision to postpone bauma was not an easy one for us, of course. But we had to make it now, before the exhibitors start planning their participation in the trade show and make corresponding investments,” Dittrich noted. “Unfortunately, despite the vaccination campaign that has been launched around the world, it is not yet possible to predict when the pandemic will be largely under control and unlimited worldwide travel will be possible again. This makes participation difficult to plan and calculate for both exhibitors and visitors.
“Under these circumstances, we would not have been able to fulfill our central promise that bauma, the world's leading trade fair, represents the entire spectrum of the industry and generate international reach like no other comparable event,” he concluded.
“The decision is tough, but it gives all parties the planning basis they need,” Joachim Schmid, Managing Director of the Construction Equipment and Plant Engineering Association in the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), agreed. “The industry will now do everything it can for a strong bauma in October 2022. Even without a health crisis, companies need to overcome challenges such as digitalization, autonomous construction sites and sustainability, and stay abreast of changes to avoid falling behind. For this, they need bauma as an innovation barometer and networking platform.”
Planning Continues
Technical and organizational planning for bauma 2022 continues, with plans for a face-to-face event augmented and expanded by digital offerings. “This allows customers from all over the world to participate in bauma, even if they can't or don't want to travel to Munich,” said Klaus Dittrich.
Reflecting the megatrends of digitalization and sustainability, bauma 2022 will focus on the following topics:
- The road to zero emissions
- Digital construction site
- Construction methods and materials of tomorrow
- The road to autonomous machines
- Mining — sustainable, efficient, reliable
These topics will play a central role in the exhibitors’ presentations, will be illustrated in special areas such as the VR Experience and will be a central theme in the supporting program. The categories of the bauma Innovation Award will be adjusted accordingly. For the first time, applicants can participate in the categories of digitalization and climate protection.
Detailed answers to all questions on the postponement of bauma can be found at www.bauma.de.
For information on other industry event postponements or cancellations, click. here.
Information provided by Messe München and edited by Becky Schultz.
