Sonnenschutzwelt Glaswelt R+T digital 2021 english

SERVICE
SONNENSCHUTZWELT INTERVIEW
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH STUTTGART EXHIBITION CENTRE
Connecting real and digital
worlds in a meaningful way
The industry’s response to R+T digital is very positive in the first interim
result with over 300 exhibitors. During the live period of the new
industry platform from 22 to 25 February 2021, visitors will be offered
an extensive supporting programme. On each live day, visitors can
watch interesting live lectures on the topics of hospitality, innovations,
trades and architecture and ask questions interactively via chat. Anyone
who has missed a presentation can still access it afterwards as an ondemand
video. Our editorial team spoke to the makers of R+T digital.
GLASWELT – Mr Bleinroth, where do you see
yourself as Stuttgart Exhibition Centre in the field
of tension between digital trade fairs and their
competitors such as BAU or Fensterbau Frontale?
Roland Bleinroth – At this point in time, we see
digital trade fairs as a necessary solution to stay
in touch with our community and to offer attractive
content online via topics such as the Innovation
Award, match-making, live lectures and virtual
exhibitions. It is not enough just to organise
the above-mentioned points individually. Visitors
must also be able to find information that they
were not looking for. That is the challenge.
GLASWELT – Do you see R+T digital as a bridge
to R+T 2022 in Stuttgart?
Bleinroth – That would be too short-sighted,
and is not our intention. Now it’s first of all a matter
of picking up our customers with R+T digital. The
question that then arises is, where do we go from
here? The world, and with it the trade fair world,
will change as a result of the pandemic. Our differentiator
will be to extend the reach of the upcoming
R+T 2022 in Stuttgart through digital components.
We want to learn from the digital event in
order to be able to offer our visitors tailor-made
content as a trade fair in the future, completely regardless
of whether it is real or digital.
Schmid – A very interesting point is that exhibitors
have registered for R+T digital who have never
been to R+T before. This shows us that our offer
is coherent. This will certainly have a similar effect
on visitors. Here, too, we will reach employees of
manufacturers and specialist companies (clerks,
craftsmen, trainees) who have not had the opportunity
to visit R+T so far. Of course, a digital
platform will not be able to replace a real trade
fair, because multisensuality is a key factor that
only the real world offers in unison.
Bleinroth – In the future, digital supplements to
real trade fairs will become increasingly important.
It thus becomes relatively easy for a company
with a manageable amount of effort to get a
taste, for instance, of the world of R+T and, if successful,
to exhibit at the real R+T in the future. But
even with limited travel options, the digital version
will be a useful addition for exhibitors and visitors
in the future.
GLASWELT – Mr Schmid, over 300 exhibitors
sounds very positive. Are you satisfied?
Sebastian Schmid – I am very impressed by
the great response from the industry. With regard
to R+T digital, it was particularly important
for us to be able to meet the expectations regarding
internationality and product diversity of
a R+T. We are all the more pleased that we can
keep this promise to our visitors. Exhibitors from
over 30 countries are taking part. 37 % come from
national exhibitors, over 63 % result from international
participation. Besides Germany, the top
exhibiting countries are Italy, China, Spain and
Turkey. But there are also some exhibitors from
France, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria,
the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and South
Korea, among others. From that point of view, I
am very satisfied.
GLASWELT – Will there be a “big” R+T Alliance
industry platform in the future?
Bleinroth – That would undoubtedly be an
advantage that the digital world offers. Creating
multilingualism here is relatively simple. Of
course, we are also planning in this direction to
connect the entire R+T network in a meaningful
way.
GLASWELT – Thank you for the interview, and
good luck with R+T digital.
The interview was conducted by GLASWELT
editor Olaf Vögele. —
Roland Bleinroth, Managing Director and Spokesman for the Board of Management, and Sebastian Schmid,
Head of the Technology Trade Fairs Department, were on hand to answer questions about the digital activities of
Landesmesse Stuttgart.
Photo: Olaf Vögele
6 GLASWELT | Sonnenschutzwelt 2021