Light + Building Autumn Edition 2022: Business is made between people

The restart of Light + Building after two and a half years of pandemic has been more than successful. "We are delighted with the extremely high level of interest shown by the visitors who came to the Light + Building Autumn Edition. The themes of the event offer the answers to the current challenges of our time. In addition – and this runs through all the discussions we have – personal encounters are and remain the central element of trade fairs. Business is done between people. The following applies to all participants: In times of crisis, it takes courage and a willingness to take risks to look positively and solution-oriented into the future. The exhibiting companies have impressively demonstrated this at the Light + Building Autumn Edition", is how Wolfgang Marzin, Chairman of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt, sums up the past five days.

Foundation stones for the future

The Light + Building Autumn Edition covers the areas of lighting and building services technology. In the area of electrical engineering, home and building automation, the focus was primarily on technical innovations that contribute to increasing energy efficiency in homes and buildings. The growing areas also include regenerative energy sources such as solar or photovoltaic panels, charging management systems for e-mobility and lighting control. Efficiency and sustainability also play an important role in the lighting sector. High-quality, modular lighting systems, in combination with digital control, provide light when brightness is actually needed. The newly planned lighting area was very well received by exhibitors and visitors. At 60 percent, this area still accounts for the largest share of the world's leading trade fair.

Connected security technology in focus

In the immediate vicinity of the exhibitor offer for security technology, Intersec Building, the Intersec Forum, specialist conference for connected security technology, was also impressive. On four conference days and in a total of 30 lectures and panels, participants learned at first hand about the coming trends, the latest guidelines and tangible strategies for the successful, data-secure and AI-based interconnection of building services. The Intersec Building section recorded a high level of satisfaction with 89 percent.

Light + Building Digital Extension: until 14 October 2022

For the first time, new perspectives also opened up for all participants in the digital space: at the Light + Building Digital Extension, exhibitors and visitors were able to make targeted contact with each other and expand their network on the basis of intelligent match-making. This will be accessible until 14 October 2022. Lectures, discussion rounds and presentations are also available on-demand on the platform, so that knowledge transfer is still possible via the diverse supporting programme of the leading international trade fair.

For the special edition of the leading international trade fair for lighting and building services technology, 92,838 visitors from 147 countries travelled to Frankfurt am Main. In addition to Germany, most of them came from Italy, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Great Britain and Poland. This means that the international participation was at 55 percent. The high level of visitor satisfaction shows that the trip was worthwhile for them. 95 percent of the trade visitors are satisfied with the achievement of their visiting goals and the range of exhibits, and over 83 percent are already planning to visit Light + Building 2024.

Light + Building, which takes place every two years, was postponed several times due to the pandemic, but was now held as a one-off special edition in autumn at the request of the industry. In 2024, the fair will again occupy its spring slot as usual.

The next Light + Building will take place in Frankfurt am Main from 3 to 8 March 2024.

Voices from the industry

Ingolf Jakobi, General Manager of the Central Association of the German Electrical and Information Technology Trades (ZVEH): "Light + Building 2022 was an important signal to the industry. That is why we are pleased that the electrical trades were represented at the Autumn Edition in their usual strength. As a one-stop shop, the fair once again made it possible for our companies to find out about current trends, such as photovoltaics, heat pumps or even energy self-sufficiency. Our impression is therefore: with the Light + Building Autumn Edition, the e-business has returned to its tried and tested form. The exchange of information, always an essential part of the fair, was even more important this year. After all, it was not only a matter of celebrating a reunion with old acquaintances, but also of making contacts beyond the classic trade boundaries in order to prepare together and for the challenges of the energy turnaround."

Wolfgang Weber, General Manager of the German Electrical and Digital Industries Association (ZVEI): “This Light + Building sends out a strong signal: There are solutions for the pressing energy and climate issues and these lie in consistent electrification and digitalisation. The building sector is still a major CO₂ emitter. This can and must change. We will see significant progress as early as the next Light + Building in spring 2024. Politics will have to provide the right framework to stimulate investments in connectivity and energy efficiency. This is the only way we can keep the climate targets in sight."