bauma, the world’s largest heavy equipment trade show, is being postponed to the fall of 2022.
Originally scheduled for April 4-10, 2022, uncertainty generated by COVID-19 led organizers to reschedule the show for October 24-30, 2022.
Every three years, the global construction industry gathers in Munich, Germany for bauma. In 2019, the show attracted about 600,000 visitors alongside 3,700 exhibitors from 63 countries.
According to the show’s organizer Messe München, the decision to postpone had to be made now, due to the lengthy planning process for exhibitors.
“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,” said Klaus Dittrich, Chairman and CEO of Messe München.
“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.”
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Despite the pandemic, both the industry’s response and the booking level was very high, according to Messe München.
However, there was a growing recognition that holding the show in April involved too many uncertainties in view of the global pandemic.
The prevailing opinion was that it is currently difficult to assess whether worldwide travel — which is crucial for the success of the trade show — will be largely unhindered again in a year’s time.
“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,” Dittrich said. “After all, bauma’s last edition welcomed participants from over 200 countries around the world. Hence, the decision is consistent and logical.”
The show’s global exhibitors, who expect customers from all over the world to attend bauma, make correspondingly high investments in stand construction, logistics and hotel capacity, advocated for the postponement. They saw the 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 show stuck to its April date.
“The decision is tough, but it gives all parties the planning basis they need. The industry will now do everything it can for a strong bauma in October 2022,” said Joachim Schmid, managing Director of the Construction Equipment and Plant Engineering Association in the German Engineering Federation (VDMA).
“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. In next year’s October, we will all meet again in Munich.”
