A slight name change is an external indicator of the new concept for the trade fair “Composites for Europe” (previously “Composites Europe”). The event to be held from 10-12 November 2020 in Stuttgart / Germany will focus on small- and medium-sized companies and start-ups in the German-speaking composites scene (www.composites-europe.com).

“Our aim is to develop ‘Composites for Europe’ from just a trade fair into a business summit for processors, users, technology leaders and experts from research and development in the composites market in Germany, Austria and Switzerland,” says Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel, the new event director at Reed Exhibitions (Düsseldorf / Germany; www.reedexpo.de), bidding farewell to the term “trade fair”.

Making the exhibition a success on the German market is obviously proving to be difficult. In the last two years, the organisers have had to contend with declines in exhibitor and visitor numbers. A reversal of this trend is not expected given the coronavirus pandemic. A target of 200 exhibitors has been set for this year, which is hardly enough to fill a single exhibition hall. The comparisons with 2019 (310 exhibitors – see Plasteurope.com of 07.10.2019) and 2018 (354 exhibitors) show a clear downward trend.

In this regard, Jungmichel is not exactly envied for his task. With themed spaces and activity areas, he nevertheless wants to offer users orientation along the path to automation and the challenges of digitalisation “in the still future-oriented German-speaking market”. Flagship projects from the fields of mobility and transport, construction and infrastructure, circular economy as well as sport and leisure will be presented in special areas at central locations. Lectures and keynotes in two impulse forums will complement the exhibition, as will a start-up area and special areas under the heading “Process Live”, where exhibitors will demonstrate networked machines in live operation.

“Composites for Europe 2020” will again be complemented by “Foam Expo Europe” – the trade fair for the supply chain of technical foam production that will take place concurrently in the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre. For visitors from the automotive, aviation, construction and sports and leisure industries, the joint event date offers synergies when it comes to lightweight construction materials. Plasteurope.com’s editorial team has compiled a current overview of the coronavirus-related status of more than 160 trade fairs and other events in the global plastics industry.

“Composites for Europe" is organised by Reed Exhibitions in cooperation with the European industry association EuCIA (Brussels / Belgium; www.eucia.eu) and the trade association Composites Germany (Berlin; www.composites-germany.org).