Dramatic end to wire Düsseldorf 2010 fails to dampen the optimistic mood of participants

Drama is the only word that can sum up the final two days of the 2010 wire Düsseldorf exhibition. During the course of Thursday 15 April details of the Icelandic volcanic eruption and its implications for air travelers became known and many visitors and exhibitors alike turned their thoughts to the problem of returning to base.

The IWMA has always considered wire Düsseldorf to be the very best organised industry trade fair and has great respect for the professionalism of the organisers.  Having masterminded what by common consent was an excellent exhibition Messe Düsseldorf worked hard in its last two days to assist stranded participants as much as possible by encouraging car sharing for overland travel in Europe as well as facilitating the extension of visas.

Many tales of epic return journeys and considerable delays spent waiting for flights reached the ears of the IWMA.  All concerned are to be commended for their patience in the face of an uncontrollable event of Mother Nature. Despite this nothing should detract from the undoubted success of the 2010 exhibition.

The bare facts do not tell the complete story. There were 1,219 exhibitors from 52 countries, an increase of 7.3% over 2008.  Despite this increase the amount of exhibition space was down with exhibitors carefully trying to control costs following the economic meltdown of 2008/2009.  Visitor numbers were also down slightly with the organisers reporting a total of 69,200 from over 100 countries for wire and Tube combined.

However, the most important fact was that a very high proportion of visitors came with serious intent to review and purchase equipment once again as the world economic situation improves.  One IWMA board member reported that wire 2010 had greatly exceeded his expectations and had been more successful for him that the previous two editions. This experience was shared by many other exhibitors and the IWMA itself enjoyed a more fruitful exhibition than 2008.  Membership applications at the IWMA stand in hall 11 were up by 100% compared to two years ago.

Once again the IWMA’s facilities were well patronised by members.  Apart from hosting the Educational Trust’s John C Hogg Travel Awards ceremony on 14 April the stand was also the venue for several important meetings: with a delegation from Sinosteel Zhengzhou Research Institute of Steel Wire Products, the IWMA’s representatives in China; with the Shanghai Electric Cable Research Institute (SECRI) to discuss cooperation with a technical conference at wire China 2010 and a board meeting of the IWMA Educational Trust.

Members of the IWMA executive board were able to thank Sinosteel’s president Mr Yang Jianhua personally for his organisation’s excellent efforts in securing many new members in China and to give the association’s full support for further development in the People’s Republic. At the meeting with SECRI the IWMA Technical Sub Committee agreed to source at least six international technical papers for a morning session at the wire China supporting conference on 22 September 2010.  It was also agreed that the conference would be held at the exhibition venue, the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre (SNIEC), and the international papers session would be chaired by the IWMA.

Away from the IWMA stand other gatherings during wire 2010 included the IWMA’s 40th anniversary dinner at the Congress Centre on 13 April and an important meeting with the Wire Association International (WAI) and ACIMAF to review last year’s Istanbul conference and discuss possible venues for future technical events. The anniversary dinner attracted more than 270 members and VIP guests, including the one surviving founder of the WMA (the original name of the IWMA) Bill Merchant, who was the guest of honour.

Friedrich Kehrer (left) and Joachim Schafer (centre) of Messe Düsseldorf help IWMA chairman Stephen Wood cut the birthday cake they presented to the association at its wire Düsseldorf anniversary dinner

The IWMA Executive Board takes a bow at the anniversary dinner

Some of the 270 guests at the IWMA anniversary dinner at wire Düsseldorf

In his speech at the dinner IWMA chairman Stephen Wood recognised and paid tribute to the representatives of other important industry organisations, to the travel award winners and to Messe Düsseldorf’s key personnel. Together with Technical Sub Committee (TSC) chairman Don Tucker he presented the 2010 Harry W Bennett non ferrous and ferrous speaker awards respectively to:

Sean Harrington, Ceeco Bartell Machinery Systems, Canada for his paper at the Istanbul Cable & Wire conference in November last year: “Reducing cost in manufacturing compact conductors using roll form stranding”
C Coffin, D King, H Depamelaere, W van Raemdonck (who collected the award on behalf of all the co authors), NV Bekaert sa, Belgium for their paper also at Istanbul last year: “Evaluation of high temperature behaviour of zn and znal coatings on core wires and strands for acsr, acss and alike overhead power conductors “.

Sean Harrington of Ceeco Bartell Machinery Systems, winner of Walter Niehoff Non Ferrous Trophy

IWMA Technical Sub Committee chairman Don Tucker (left) with chairman Stephen Wood and Walter Niehoff FerrousTrophy Award winner Walther van Raemdonck (right), representing NV Bekaert

In a moving tribute that produced a standing ovation Stephen Wood made a special presentation to Don Tucker for his 40 years involvement with the IWMA and his many years of service on the Executive Board, as a past chairman and as chairman of the TSC.

Don Tucker, recipient of a special award from the IWMA for 40 years outstanding service
to the association

IWMA Educational Trust John C Hogg Travel Award winners pictured on the association stand with Stephen Wood (centre left), Joachim Schafer (back centre) and Friedrich Kehrer (centre right)

Düsseldorf 2010 was a very eventful exhibition is more ways than one.  The next edition, wire/Tube Düsseldorf 2012, will be held slightly earlier in the year from 26-30 March 2012. 

Within days of the end of this year’s trade fair the IWMA was already receiving requests for reservations of space in the association’s exhibitor group area, clearly demonstrating the continuing importance of this exhibition and that it would take much more than volcanic dust to diminish wire Düsseldorf’s reputation as the pre-eminent show.