 |
 |
05 Oct 2007
Delegates attending VISION in November will be some of the first to see the new EURO 800 million Trade Fair Centre in Stuttgart, Germany. Can’t wait till then? The official opening is between 19 and 21 October.
If you are in Stuttgart, Germany, between 19 and 21 October, you have the opportunity to attend the official opening of the city's New Trade Fair Centre. And given that the building required an investment of EURO 800 million and used enough steel to make eight and a half Eiffel Towers, it's probably worth a look.
"We are convinced that the New Trade Fair Centre is Europe's most modern venue," Silvia Blumenstein, Messe Stuttgart's Director of International Business Development, told optics.org. "We are expecting 250,000 people to attend the opening."
But what is all the fuss about? One of the most important aspects is the convenience of the location. "The New Trade Fair is only 350 meters from the airport terminal," said Blumenstein. "You can walk out of the terminal and be in the Trade Fair in just 5 minutes. Stuttgart airport has direct flights to 112 destinations in 33 countries and is looking to expand. The location really is at the heart of the market."
For visitors travelling by train, the Trade Fair has its own station and will be connected to the intercity express rail network in future. And for those arriving by car, there is a multi-storey car-park over the A8 autobahn which has space for more than 4000 vehicles. As Blumenstein explains, this is the perfect use of "dead space".
Inside the Trade Fair Centre, visitors will find nine exhibition halls and an international congress centre (ICS). "The overall capacity is 100,000 square meters and there is the possibility to expand this in the future if required," commented Blumenstein.
The largest hall in the Trade Fair Centre is Hall1, which has an exhibition area of 25,000 square meters. Halls 3 - 9 each have an area of 10,000 square meters. The ICS offers space for events with up to 9300 attendees.
If you are not in Stuttgart in October, one of the first events to use the new facility is VISION, an exhibition focusing on machine vision. Messe Stuttgart will also be launching a new event called LASYS in 2008. "LASYS will be held between 4 and 6 March 2008," said Blumenstein. "It will be held every two years and will focus on laser-based manufacturing. We are expecting around 150 exhibitors at the first event."
• If you are at the opening of the Trade Fair, optics.org would like to hear your thoughts on the building. Please use the "Comment on this article" link below.
Author
Jacqueline Hewett is editor of Optics & Laser Europe magazine.
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| © 2024 SPIE Europe |
|
