Following a forced, one-and-a-half-year break, from 14 to 16 September Messe Frankfurt was finally able to welcome exhibitors and trade visitors to two of its own events at its home venue. 388 exhibitors took part in the special Automechanika Frankfurt Digital Plus event in Hall 3 and the Hypermotion Frankfurt conference and trade fair in the Forum. Of these, 53 percent were present in person in Frankfurt, with the remainder participating online. Approx. 10,000 visitors from 70 countries followed the three-day trade fair programme live in Frankfurt and online. Two-thirds of the participants made use of the many new digital features to do so on-screen, including live streams, intelligent matchmaking and one-to-one video calls. The platform played host to approx. 25,000 interactions in all. The streams were viewed 21,000 times, while 1,600 video calls were made.
Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, put it this way: “The trade fair engine has been started, and the mobility and logistics industry got everything underway. Finally, exhibitors and trade visitors had the opportunity to get together in person again and make new contacts – both on site on the exhibition grounds and on the digital event platform with international industry players. Following a long dry spell, the familiar trade fair feeling was quickly established – only this time it was with masks and a requirement that people be vaccinated, tested or recovered. It is a good warm-up for Automechanika Frankfurt and Hypermotion next year.”
Hypermotion boasts international flair
Hyperloop technology, urban logistics and mobility concepts, intelligent supply chains and alternative drive technologies were the focal point of this year’s Hypermotion – the conference and trade fair helped to drive discussions of these pressing issues while addressing an international audience. DP World, one of the world’s biggest port operators and providers of smart end-to-end logistics, is also a global partner of the event. Ibrahim Al Najjar, IT Director at DP World: “By facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise, Hypermotion offers our company a valuable platform where it can improve its end-to-end logistics services and optimise intelligent trade processes for the industry.” These discussions will be continued at Hypermotion in Dubai, where the conference and trade fair is making its international debut from 2 to 4 November 2021.
There was also a debut in Frankfurt: the first international Hyperloop Conference took place on 16 September 2021. Initiated by Hypermotion and its partners, this event gave various players from the international hyperloop ecosystem their turn in the spotlight, including transport companies, hyperloop start-ups, vacuum technology suppliers, port operators and infrastructure firms. Among other things, Sara Luchain, Director of Passenger Experience at Virgin Hyperloop, discussed her experiences from the world’s first hyperloop test run in the Las Vegas desert last November.
Hypermotion Frankfurt also made it clear that new incentives are needed to make the mobility transition a reality. In order to develop comprehensive concepts that go beyond cars, discussions must proceed on a multinational and multi-industry basis. Stefan Eckert, Managing Director responsible for sales and project management at Yunex Traffic Germany: “We need to dialogue with other mobility and logistics specialists and experts in order to complete the puzzle. In other words, it is not only the transport users that must be involved – we must also address the issue of ensuring the safest, fastest and most sustainable means of getting goods and freight to their destinations. And Hypermotion is the ideal platform for this purpose. With its pioneering infrastructure and transport solutions, Yunex Traffic helps make urban mobility more sustainable, smarter, more digital and safer – yet these services are but one piece of the puzzle.” The company was one of more than 30 firms that participated in the two themed marketplaces – Future Mobility and Smart Logistics – that were organised by Motion-X.
Start-ups also presented bold approaches that showcased their role as drivers and facilitators of the mobility transition and digitalisation. Tilmann Rosch, Managing Partner of Urban Mobility GmbH: “Our innovative cargo bike is already in use in 14 cities throughout Germany. We have produced some 100 vehicles. In the next step, we aim to equip the vehicle with telematics, and we made numerous contacts at Hypermotion for this purpose.”
The next Hypermotion Frankfurt will be held in conjunction with the German Mobility Congress (DMK) from 15 to 17 November 2022 in Frankfurt.
