IFAT Moves to a Two-Year Cycle

From then onwards, IFAT will be taking place regularly every two years in spring. By shortening the cycle for this fair, Messe München is responding to the needs of the growing environmental market and to calls from within the industry to further expand the leading international position of IFAT.

IFAT is not only an important market place for the strongly export-oriented German companies manufacturing and marketing environmental technologies and services. For years it has also been attracting an ever growing number of companies from abroad – at the last fair in 2008, a record number of foreign exhibitors (from 44 different countries) took part, and trade visitors numbers from abroad also rose strongly (163 countries of origin).

"The need for information and as a result for investment is accelerating worldwide, as the expanding market for environmental technology is demonstrating. By shortening the cycle, we are responding to this increasing demand. At the same time we are strengthening IFAT as a leading international fair for the sector, against the background of a rising number of environmental trade fairs in many countries," said Eugen Egetenmeir, a member of the Management Board of Messe München.

"IFAT is a highly important meeting place for the international market. Shortening it to a two-year cycle is an important step for intensifying customer relations and becoming an international must-attend event for decision-makers in the political and commercial sectors - in the interest of exhibiting companies and their customers alike," said Dr Johannes F. Kirchhoff, Chairman of the IFAT Advisory Board.

Support for this decision to change the cycle also comes from the conceptual sponsors; these are: the German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste (DWA), the Association of Municipal Waste Management and City Cleaning in the VKU (VKS im VKU), the Verband der Arbeitsgeräte- und Kommunalfahrzeug-Industrie e.V. (VAK) (“Municipal Vehicles and Equipment Industry Association”) and the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) with its trade associations for process plant and equipment, for apparatuses, valves, pumps and systems, and for compressors, compressed-air and vacuum technology.

As a result of the changes, IFAT CHINA, which has so far taken place every two years in autumn, will be moved to July 2010, to avoid a clash of dates with IFAT in Munich.

Federal Minister Sigmar Gabriel, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety:

"I am pleased that the world s largest environmental trade fair is now taking place every two years. The success of IFAT shows that environmental technology has long since developed into an industry that is booming worldwide. IFAT is an important shop window for German companies in particular, as they are technology and market leaders in many fields."

State Minister Dr. Markus Söder, Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Public Health

"We must tackle the challenges of environmental protection in an efficient, technology-based and cost-effective way, and above all through an exchange at international level. IFAT is not only synonymous with the world s best environmental technology, its many workshops and symposia also offer an opportunity for participants to find out about the latest developments in the global environmental market. Also benefiting from IFAT are the approximately 7,000 Bavarian companies, most of them SMEs, that offer goods and services in the field of environmental protection."

About IFAT

In 2008 IFAT set a new record for attendance, with 2,605 exhibitors from 41 countries and around 120,000 trade visitors from 170 countries. IFAT 2010, the 16th International Trade Fair for Water – Sewage – Refuse – Recycling, takes place at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre from 13 to 17 September 2010. It is the world’s most important trade fair for innovations and new developments in the fields of water, sewage, refuse and recycling. The event offers an attractive exhibition programme featuring state-of-the-art technology and a broad range of professional services for water, sewage and refuse management.

About Messe München International (MMI)

Messe München International (MMI) is one of the world’s leading trade-fair organisations. It organises around 40 trade fairs for capital and consumer goods, and new technology. Over 30,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, and over two million visitors from more than 200 countries take part each year in the trade fairs in Munich. In addition, MMI organises trade fairs in Asia, Russia, the Middle East and in South America. With six subsidiaries abroad and 66 foreign representatives covering 89 countries, MMI has a truly global network.