The leading trade fair had around 3,200 exhibitors from 60 countries with more than 495,000 visitors
When the grounds of Messe München become the centre of the construction machinery industry for seven full days, the implication is that Bauma is finally taking place again. This year, from October 24-30, a total of around 3,200 exhibitors from 60 countries (2019: 3,684 exhibitors from 63 countries) and more than 495,000 visitors from over 200 countries (2019: 627,603 visitors from more than 200 countries) came to Munich for the world’s leading trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment. The proportion of international visitors was around 50%.
The top 10 exhibitor countries were in this order: Germany, Italy, Turkey, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, France, the US, Austria, Spain and China. The share of international exhibitors was nearly 65%. Stefan Rummel, CEO of Messe München responsible for the event, commented: “Bauma 2022 has again stoked enthusiasm and fascination! After the world fundamentally changed following the last exhibition, we are really thrilled that Bauma 2022 demonstrates that the trade fair remains a powerhouse of the construction equipment industry thanks to our customers’ great variety of innovations, good business deals and many visitors from all over the world.”
Surpassing Industry Expectations
Bauma displayed its usual strength even in these unsettled times, as Domenic Ruccolo, CSO of Wirtgen Group and Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product Support for Global Construction Equipment at John Deere confirmed: “The Wirtgen Group’s joint trade show appearance with John Deere was a resounding success. The interest in our company and our innovative and sustainable products was simply overwhelming. Our participation in the industry leading trade fair was the most successful in the history of the Wirtgen Group.” Steffen Günther, a member of the Board of Directors of Liebherr, also expressed his satisfaction.
“Bauma proved to be a very successful trade fair for us. We generated a lot of enthusiasm among the large audience. The conversations were outstanding. We are already looking forward to the next Bauma trade fair now,” he noted. Fred Cordes, Chairman of the Management Board at Zeppelin (CAT), added: “Bauma was long overdue as demonstrated by the overwhelming rush of visitors to our booth and the extraordinary interest in our construction machinery and Zeppelin’s services,” he said. And in terms of business deals as well, Bauma proved once again that it is a unique platform for the industry.
Alexander Greschner, Chief Sales Officer at Wacker Neuson Group, said: “Visitors flocked to our stand, and we had a lot of very good discussions. From the very first day we were able to achieve sales success on the same level as 2019 and beyond.” Alexander Schwörer, owner of PERI, had a similar experience, and commented: “The entire team was very keen to see how the trade fair would develop in these difficult times. But even after the first day it was clear to see that this would be a complete success. What’s particularly noteworthy to mention is the quality of the conversations we had during the week of the trade fair. They were exceptional in all respects. We signed a number of very attractive contracts. In short, the fair more than exceeded our expectations.”
According to CEOs of Messe München, Stefan Rummel and Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, “In these challenging times, Bauma has sent a strong signal to the trade fair sector – industries need precisely such in-person events where everyone can directly experience products and hold personal discussions.” But Bauma did not just showcase its strength as a business platform. The trade fair also lived up to its leadership claim in setting topics for the event. Franz-Josef Paus, Managing Director of Paus Maschinenfabrik GmbH and Chairman of the Bauma Advisory Board, said, “We are very satisfied with how the trade fair unfolded. It was enormously popular among our customers and guests. Digitalisation and automation are topics that dominated the trade fair, and this trend is irreversible.”
Joachim Schmid, Managing Director of the Construction Machinery and Building Material Association of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), echoed this by saying: “The exhibitors are offering solutions to address current challenges related to CO2 neutrality as well as tackling the issue of skilled worker shortages with automation and digitalisation. This is the future. You saw this with the traditional companies and with the nearly 50 start-ups at the trade fair for the first time.” Andreas Klauser, CEO at Palfinger, aptly brought things to a close by stating: “As the world’s leading trade fair, Bauma gives exhibitors and visitors an opportunity to already experience the future today.” The next edition of this trade fair will be held in Munich from April 7–13, 2025.